The Seduction of Kate Beckett
by Mali Bear's Buddy
Summary: Beckett issues a challenge Castle can't resist, but he changes the rules in a way that'll make her head spin. AU and possible spoilers starting from S1's Hell Hath No Fury. For lalaurala-bones and blindassassin.
1. Ch 1: What's in a Name?

**A/N: **My heart is currently in another fandom, so I can't promise how quickly or often this'll get updated...but I can tell you it _will_ be thanks to two very special ladies who I have a feeling will remind me.

For **blindassassin**...if you don't like this, blame her for pushing me to write _Castle_...and if you do like it, go review some of her stories. Every writer needs a little inspiration.

And for **lalaurala-bones**...for betaing this monstrosity and sharing her infectious fan-girl enthusiasm with me. Laura is an amazing friend and talented writer. I'm honored to know her.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter One: What's in a Name?

Richard Castle stands at the podium in front of a full audience. His navy blue suit is perfectly tailored, the shirt beneath it crisp and a similar shade of blue. The look says _Trust me, this one's another best seller_. At least he hopes it does. His mother...

"No one..." Looking up from the book in his hand, he sees her. The words he carefully penned tumble carelessly from his lips as his voice breaks on the final sentence.

His partner, the inspiration behind the character for his next series, enters the room in bold can't be missed color. The porcelain skin of her long legs races from the peep-toe stilettos on her feet to the flirty hem of her dress. Her coat slinks from her toned shoulders as she allows it to billow ever so slightly behind her before tossing it over her arm. Her hair is artfully tussled in a way that screams for his fingers to run through it.

Getting himself under control, he finishes the line, his eyes never leaving hers, "...will see my tears."

The crowd gets to their feet and he mumbles his thanks, meeting Kate's mocking smirk as she joins them in a slow clap. Smiling amusedly, he prepares to approach her when he's bombarded by fans. He follows her with his eyes as she works the room while he tries to focus on answering questions and signing autographs, but it's almost half an hour before he reaches her.

"Detective Beckett," he says, his voice breathy as he interrupts her conversation, "To what do I owe this very unexpected pleasure?" His fingertips trail over the silk of her arm as she turns to look at him. He grips his wrist holding it at his waist to keep the touch from lingering longer than appropriate.

"Excuse me," she says dismissively to her companion. "Thank you."

Taking a few steps toward him, her tone becomes confrontational. Her delicate features tightening, she snaps, "I just figured if you're gonna bother me at my work, I should bother you at yours." Tilting her head, she feigns a serious tone. "That was quite a reading. Very...uh moving."

Rick's gaze narrows and he gives Kate a sideways glance. Playing hurt, he asks, "Are you making fun of me?"

"Good, she thought, as the wind gathered up her hair, no one will see my tears..." she says dramatically. Crossing her arms, she almost laughs as she looks into his eyes. Wrinkling her nose, she asks nonchalantly, "How does wind gather up hair? Just curious..."

"Oh," he says questioningly, a hand rising to his chest. "You're telling me how to do my job?"

"Irritating, isn't it?" she answers, nibbling at her lower lip.

"Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh," Martha says, looping her arm through her son's. She gives Kate a once over. "Oh! Look at you!"

Part of Rick groans at the intrusion, but a bigger part of him is relieved - relieved because the tight thread of his restraint was threatening to snap. He wraps his arm around Alexis and, smiling down at Martha, allows himself to be swept away by his mother's nonsense. He'd deal with Kate and her saucy mouth later.

"Denise, from _The Ledger_, says you're going to be number one this week. And look!" she says, gesturing around the store. "Everyone is buying your book!" Poking him in the chest, she adds, "Now, don't you feel silly for believing all of those reviews?"

Looking at Kate and Alexis's tolerant smiles as both women attempt to keep straight faces as Martha steals the limelight and brushes her own insecurities off on him, Rick answers, "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Let's just hope Nikki Heat does as well!" she says, shifting her gaze to Kate.

"Nikki Heat?" Beckett repeats, her face falling as she practically chokes on the name.

Martha nods. "The character he's basing on you."

"Nikki Heat," she repeats again, angrier this time. Raising a hand, she demands more than questions, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Seeing an exit strategy, he ducks away from his mother and daughter quickly following Kate. "Of course."

The sway of her hips as she walks purposefully away is hypnotic. He suppresses a grin. He likes riling her up. Getting under her skin. _This would be fun. _

"What kind of a name is Nikki Heat?" she growls, hands fisting at her sides.

His brow furrows as though he has no idea what she's saying. An innocent look crossing his features, her answers, "A cop name."

Kate's jaw clenches and her eyes close. Taking a breath, she meets his eyes. "It's a stripper name."

Rick chuckles slightly, the corner of his mouth turning up wryly. His head tilting unconsciously to the side and back again, he says casually, "Well, I told you she was kind of slutty."

"Change it, Castle." The command is flat. There's no humor or plea behind it.

"Hang on," he pushes back. "Think of the titles," he says slowly, his tone taking on an erotic air as he ticks them off one by one, "Summer Heat. Heat Wave. In Heat." He grins at her, his eyes lighting at the spark blazing into an open flame in hers.

"Change. The. Name." She advances, getting in his personal space.

They bicker for a minute, the Yes-No banter making him tingle and feel something he hasn't felt in quite some time. It's the start of something. An excitement that rivals the first time he made the best seller list and the day Alexis was born.

But it's more than that. It's passion. A passion he hadn't felt with any of his exes. She challenges him. And he loves a challenge. If she'd just said please, he'd have done it. In a heartbeat. He's a sucker for the women in his life. But the way she demands the change, the way she manages to push every last button he's got, just turns him on.

"Change the name, Castle. Today," she says, walking to snatch up her coat where she left it.

He follows her, staying tight on her heels. Shaking his head as he sets the cardboard cutout of himself aside, he answers, "No."

"You're unbelievable!" she groans, heading for the exit.

He fumbles to sign a book that's thrust in his face as he calls out to her. "Kate! Wait!"

Smiling, he hands the copy back to the reader and touches her on the shoulder before hurrying after his partner. His publicist grabs his sleeve just as he gets to the door and he gives her a murderous glare as he watches Kate climb into a taxi.

"Where do you think you're going? You're booked for another hour!" she complains.

He gives her a flourish of his free hand and bats hers away, his eyes still glued to the lights on the cab as it pulls away from the curb. "Figure it out. Isn't that what I pay you for?" He tugs the cuff of his shirt and rolls his eyes at her. Not wanting to lose any more time, he pushes through the door calling back over his shoulder, "Take a list and I'll sign them all and pay for postage."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

He's waiting outside her apartment when she gets home. Leaning casually against the door, his jacket tossed over one shoulder and sleeves rolled up.

Kate just shakes her head. Extracting her key from her purse, she laughs softly. "Go home, Castle."

"Come on, Kate," he teases, following her inside and laying his jacket over the couch. "It's just a name. What difference does it make?"

"It makes plenty," she answers crossing her arms. "I've worked hard to get taken seriously and you..." Sliding her fingers through her hair, she growls in frustration. "You just don't get it and you never will."

Rick shoves his hands in his pockets and considers his next move. The creator in him kicks into overdrive and countless scenarios play through his brain. He stands still, letting Kate circle him. It won't hurt to let her think she has the upper hand and see where she goes with it.

Throwing her coat over the back of the sofa, she turns and faces him with a smirk. Trailing her fingers down the buttons of his shirt, she looks up at him through partly closed eyes. "Give it your best shot, Castle," she purrs throatily in challenge. "Let's see you seduce Nikki Heat."

Rick stumbles for a moment, trying to keep his jaw from dropping open at Kate Beckett's words. Gathering his composure, he carefully closes the gap between them. Cocky swagger entering his posture, his hand fans over the magenta fabric covering her hip. He feels the layers shift beneath his fingers as he presses against her and takes a breath. Lips hovering millimeters from hers, he murmurs, "What if I don't want Nikki Heat?"

His mouth is hot and wet on hers, tongue demanding entry as he cradles her cheek in a large palm. His fingers tangle in her hair and he moans at the sensation - the touch, smell, taste - of being lost in Kate. He sucks at her lower lip, his teeth gently tugging at the plump petal tormentingly. Nuzzling softly, teasingly, he continues to devour her. She's irresistible and he can't get enough.

Pulling back when he feels her hand on his chest, he looks down into the stunned emeralds of her eyes for answers. He steps away, freeing her from his spell and leaving the next move to her. "What if I want to seduce my partner? How would you handle that, Detective Beckett?"

Kate presses her lips together in a tight line and inhales deeply through her nose. The confident part of her won't let her cave the way she's sure he's expecting. Honeyed words mean nothing and she refuses to give in - to take a chance.

She wraps her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. What started as a game was quickly becoming more than she bargained for. She hesitates, meeting the steel blue of his stare and feeling a blush rise to her cheeks.

An eyebrow raising toward the ceiling, Rick swallows his smile. He feathers his lips over her forehead before bending to allow the warmth of his breath to tickle over her ear, making her shiver. "This isn't over," he tells her. His fingertips drift over her bare arm, he adds, "The next time I kiss you, it'll be because you asked me to."

Hooking his jacket over his shoulder, he heads for the door and leaves Kate touching her kiss-swollen mouth. His voice soft as his hand settles over the knob, he reminds her, "Don't forget to lock up."

Richard Castle, best selling author: 1. Detective Kate Beckett: 0.

Let the seduction begin.


	2. Ch 2: Force of Nature

**A/N:** Special thanks to **JMHaughey** for hearing me out, talking through my angst over skipping Episode 5 and listening to my thoughts for this chapter.

And to **lalaurala-bones**, for giving me confidence when I had none and going over ideas until we both fell asleep.

Both of these ladies are talented in their own right and I'm lucky they're willing to find time for me. Show them both some love?

**Spoilers:** _Always Buy Retail_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_...but my best friend gave me S2 as a belated birthday gift.

Chapter Two: Force of Nature

The women in Rick Castle's life are forces of nature. Take his mother and daughter for example. Martha Rogers, for all her flaws, is a dazzling personality who breathes life into every room she enters...even when she's sucking all of the air out of it. And Alexis, his pride and joy who's raised him every bit as much as he's raised her, could light the city with her smile and set the world on fire with her brainpower.

Then there's Kate. Ah, the delectable Detective Beckett. Beauty with a gun and a badge. The perfect blend of courage and compassion. There's no wonder why she'd been the cure for his waning imagination, sparking life to the dying fire of his muse.

Sure it started as a lark. A game of sorts. He'd called in a favor to get a taste of the excitement of actual police work. To get out of his study and into the life of the characters he created. To feel the rush and suspense, the adrenaline he hoped to fill his readers with. He figured he'd tire of it eventually the way he tired of everything. Only it hadn't taken long to figure out life around Kate would never be boring.

Rick pours himself a cup of coffee thinking of her teasing smile and the way it makes her eyes crinkle at the corners. Grinning over the brim of his cup, he thinks back to kissing her and his little proposition.

He can still taste her. Still feel the silk of her dress beneath his hands. Still hear the breathy way she practically sighed against his invading tongue. She may not know it yet, but she wants him. She wants him every bit as much as he wants her.

A knock at the door broadens his smile. Usually she just calls. Perhaps this is a social visit. She knows the loft is usually empty this time of morning. Setting his mug on the breakfast bar, he moves to the door. Flashing a grin, he opens it expecting to see bright green eyes and flushed cheeks. "To what do I..."

His face falls. A whole different force of nature stares back at him. One who swept through his life and his bank account before leaving him with custody of the most precious gift imaginable.

Before he can react she launches herself into his arms, causing him to stumble backwards. A couple of weeks ago, he might have fallen into this trap. Succumb to the temptation of the woman he's often compared to a deep fried twinkie. But not now. Not with an entirely different form of temptation at his fingertips.

Grabbing her wrists, he breaks her hold and moves out of her embrace. He scrubs at his mouth with the heel of his palm and stares at his ex-wife as though she's lost her mind. "Meredith," he breathes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Aww, kitten," she purrs, a hand resting on his chest as she tucks her red hair behind her ear. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you weren't happy to see me."

He frowns, wishing she would just get to the point. He wants to brush his teeth. Wants to rinse the taste of her from his mouth and forget she ever kissed him. He wants...

"We were so good together. Sometimes I wonder why we ever got divorced..." she says, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

He snickers. He can think of several reasons, but he plays along before jabbing her. "I know right?" he answers playfully. "I mean, except for you having an affair with your director, moving to Malibu and serving me with divorce papers." He offers her a sad smile and shakes his head. "I think we really had a chance."

She leans up and peppers him with kisses, missing the sarcasm dripping from his voice. Sighing, she bounces like an excited school girl. "I'm moving back!"

"Back to New York?" he asks sternly. He mentally prepares himself to run damage control. To get all the crap off the lawn and batten down the hatches before Hurricane Meredith tears through his - and Alexis's - life one more time.

His thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He can't stop the boyish grin from spreading across his face when he sees her name. "Detective Beckett! Do we have a case?" He listens as she rattles off an address. "I'm on my way."

Meredith pouts as he turns toward the door. "Richard!" she whines. "Say something!"

He flinches, turning to give her a smile. "The coffee's fresh. Alexis should be home by 3:30." Hooking his thumb over his shoulder, he adds, "I really gotta go..."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Rick sits next to where Kate is perched on the corner of her desk. Together, they stare at the murder board and go over the facts. He's close enough he can pick up the scent of wild cherry clinging to her. Was it perfume? Shampoo? Chapstick? Whatever. It was fresh and welcoming and, somehow, completely...Kate.

He registers everything that's said; all the little details she, Esposito and Ryan bring up. He even participates in their discussion. But his multitasking mind is elsewhere. It's working through the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between Kate and Meredith.

More specifically, the way both women kiss. Both were pleasurable but, where Meredith was all teeth and claws, Kate melted like ice in the Caribbean sun. _Oooh, there's a thought. Kate. In a bikini. Lying in the sand and..._

And, as he hears the shrill piercing of his ex's voice, he curses himself for thinking of her now and jinxing everything. "No, I'm not going to wait downstairs! Do you have any idea who pays your salary? Me and my taxes!"

Kate stops toying with her pencil. She stills, her gaze dropping down to him. "Is that...?

His eyes slam shut. "Yep," he answers. _Definitely Meredith. Spoiled. Tone deaf. Incapable of being polite. Meredith._ He's glad they're divorced. The only thing that keeps him from rueing the day he married her is Alexis.

"Richard!" she calls out, waving to him. "Over here!"

Esposito looks up before dropping his eyes back to Rick. "Deep fried twinkie?"

"Yep," he answers, pushing to his feet. "Afraid so." He steadies himself, desperate to keep things from getting awkward in front of the team, when he sees Alexis trailing behind her. He goes rigid. _Twice in one day? Why hadn't he expected this?_ "Meredith. What a surprise..." "I know!" she answers, swinging her purse from one hand and shopping bags from the other. "Isn't this great? In L.A. no one ever just stops by. Don't you just love this town?"

Rick hears Kate's voice coming over his shoulder, "More and more by the minute." Her words are wrapped in false warmth. There's an unspoken question attached to them - one that asks why his ex-wife is invading _her_ space - but Meredith never was one for social cues.

Snapping into action, he turns and meets Kate's icy glare. The one that says she's got better things to do. Barely noticing Ryan and Esposito's eyes sliding over his ex, he says, "Meredith, these are Detectives Ryan, Esposito and Beckett." When he says Kate's name, he touches her arm, drawing her forward.

"Oh, Detective Beckett," she repeats, her eyes widening as she takes the other woman in. "Your new muse."

Rick watches as Meredith sizes Kate up, wondering how ugly it would get. Meredith was all about a good cat-fight. And Kate had a gun. _Oh, shit. _He tugs on his collar, the room suddenly feeling very warm.

"Alexis told me all about it and I simply _had _to stop by," Meredith coos.

Rick sees the wheels turn. Knows she's thinking. And Meredith "thinking" never ended well. It always got him in trouble or cost him a significant amount of money. His eyes fall to his daughter and he sees the pleading look in Alexis's expression. The one that begs him not to be upset with her. That says her mother is embarrassing.

When Meredith's eyes shift past Beckett and find his face, he sees the glint in their steel depths and knows all hell is about to break loose. "You know I was his inspiration once?"

Kate tilts her head and following the other woman's gaze over her shoulder. "Were you now?"

That's when he _knows_ he's in for it. He can't stop a smile from touching his lips as her expression warns he's a dead man. _Could it possibly be? Was Kate Beckett jealous?_ Before he can decide, she shifts her eyes back to Meredith.

"Still am from time to time," the redhead proclaims. And that's when she does it. That's when she grins and lets it fly, "Right, _kitten_?"

"Kitten?" Kate repeats, an amused expression lighting her features. Facing him, she smiles so wide her face could've split open.

_Yeah. This couldn't possibly end well..._

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Rick Castle feels tired. Haggard even. There are close calls and there are _close_ calls. Popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly to give Kate an opportunity to take the shot had been a risk - one he'd expected to get a rush out of - but all he could think about was the beautiful detective and his daughter waiting for him at home.

When Kate comes out of the victim's apartment, he's leaning against the wall with a champagne flute. The alcohol does little to take the edge off their shootout. He swallows more of the golden liquid, smiling wistfully as he watches her move.

Her hair is slightly mussed and her eyes are dark. Even as his heart races in his chest, he notes the normal rise and fall of hers, the light playing on the chain dangling between her breasts. He marvels at how she can do this without breaking a sweat when his brow is lined with moisture. She's a charming enigma and it just makes him want her that much more.

"Baylor's gonna make it," she says, leaning against the wall. "You okay, Castle?"

He grins, raising the glass to his lips. "My first gun battle," he muses.

Kate's arms are crossed, her position casual, and Rick wonders if there's a way to avoid mentioning how scared he was. How he trusts her implicitly but was petrified of losing her. The façade that everything's okay.

"Your _last _gun battle," she answers.

"Don't be so pessimistic," he mutters, turning to face her. _They're partners. If she can take it, so can he._ "I think I handled myself quite well."

"Yeah," she says calmly, a small smile crossing her lips. "Probably saved my life."

"Probably?" he says, wounded by her words. He gestures at her with the glass in his hand. "I _definitely_ saved your life. You know what that means, don't you?"

He watches her push off the wall, confusion marring her features. Wasting no time, he jumps right in. His voice is velvety and rich. It's dark with desire and need. "It means you owe me."

"Owe you what?" she scoffs.

"Whatever. I. Want." he answers, inching closer. "And you know exactly what I want. You know what I really, _really_ want you to do."

His lips hover inches from hers. He finds himself lost in the shimmering green of her eyes. Slipping his lips across her cheek to her ear, his breath whispering like a kiss over her skin, he doesn't make contact.

While she was calm when she came out of the apartment, he can see her breathing begin to quicken. There's a reason Meredith calls him kitten. It's not because he's a pushover. Quite the opposite, he's a tiger, and right now Kate is his prey.

Deep down, he knows this is neither the time nor the place. There are too many of her colleagues around. He's pushing her...and pushing Kate is a mistake. A voice inside whispers, _But all she has to do is tell you to meet her at her place. _"Ask me."

Kate Beckett is a force of nature. Unpredictable as a the wind. Stepping back, she shakes her head and he watches her tongue smooth it's way over the petal of her lower lip. She crosses her arms and invades his space the way he invaded hers by leaning close. "No, Castle," she whispers against his ear. "But I'll tell you what I _will_ do."

"What's that?" he answers, his heart squeezing at the proximity of her lips.

Her lashes drift closed, he's sure he can feel them brushing his cheek when she leans even closer. "I promise not to call you kitten."

Richard Castle, best selling author: 1. Detective Kate Beckett: 1.

But this isn't over. Not by a long shot


	3. Ch 3: Say My Name

**A/N:** For my girls - **lalaurala-bones**,** BlindAssassinUK**,** JMHaughey**,** IAmLoisLane** and** stephaniew**.

**Spoilers:** _Home is Where the Heart Stops_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Three: Say My Name

Rick sits back in his chair and props his feet on the desk. Thinking back to her reaction, he wonders about the last time Kate got dressed up. Licking his lips, he decides to play fairy godmother and messenger her something that will ensure she fits in. He's definitely not going to have her looking out of place.

Pulling out his phone, he dials the boutique he knows is Alexis's favorite. After three rings, a clerk answers the phone. He smiles at the rich, melodic sound of her accent at the other end of the line. "Laura!" he exclaims. "Rick Castle. I need a dress."

"Hello, Mr. Castle," the Aussie shop girl answers. "Why don't you just send Alexis over and..."

Putting his feet on the floor, he stands and walks toward the window. Jamming his hand in his pocket, he says, "It's not for Alexis. It's for my partner. Detective Beckett."

She chuckles and he'd swear he heard the sound of a pen scratching against paper. "I see," she tells him. "And what can you tell me about your detective?"

"She's stunning. Tall. Athletic. Curves in all the right..." he begins.

"For God's sake, focus man," she teases. "How tall is tall? What is her dress size?"

Sufficiently chastised, he snaps into focus. "Right," he says. "Well, she's close to my height in heels, so I'd say 5'8" or 5'9". For size, I'd say 4 but, just to be safe, how about something with a corset style top?"

"How is her coloring?" she asks, taking notes.

"Chestnut hair, porcelain skin," he says, pausing before adding, "And the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen."

"You must really like this one," she replies with a sigh.

He chuckles softly and heads to the kitchen. "What makes you say that?"

"You've only called me one other time for a dress that wasn't for Alexis," she answers. "And you weren't nearly as rapturous about her."

He scratches his temple, trying to remember the mystery woman but comes up blank. Shaking his head, he gives a few final instructions. "Think classy but sexy. Bare shoulders would be nice."

"I think I have just the one!" she says excitedly. "Where shall I send it?"

Rattling off the address for Beckett's apartment, he directs, "Box it up. With a note."

"Yes, sir. And how would you like it to read?"

"Hmm," he says, pondering for a moment. He brushes a hand over his jawline, a grin taking hold as he drops back into his chair and spins around. _Fairy tales do come true, Kate. _"Let's go with Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Rick leaves Kate and heads toward the bar. The thought of her getting just a little tipsy, her carefully constructed walls dropping ever so slightly, thrills him.

But not nearly as much as seeing her in that dress. Good lord, it screamed old Hollywood. The plunging neckline was a modern touch, but the fringe and the delicate beading coupled with the way her short bob curled around her face was just so...elegant. No, elegant didn't begin to describe her.

Desire flares to life as he gets the barman's attention. "Could I get two very stiff, vodka martinis? Don't shake 'em, just swirl 'em around a bit."

_Mmm. Swirl. The tangle of tongues in a heated kiss._

His thoughts are rudely interrupted when a grinning brunette says his name. He smiles politely, but he hears little more than a buzz. Years in the business have him schmoozing while paying very little attention.

All he cares about is getting back to his almost date with the smoky-eyed detective. Her eyes seem somehow brighter beneath the carefully applied eyeliner and mascara. He wants to swim in them. To get lost in their depths and forget the world. Their gazes meet across the crowded room and he wonders if she is thinking of him as she talks to a woman in blue who stares in his direction.

He tries to excuse himself, reaching to grab the drinks from the bar only to have Rachel suck him back in. He hesitates, considering sweeping past her. Then she says it. _Alexis_.

"You know my daughter?"

"We make a point to know as much as we can about our potential donors..."

Extricating himself from the awkwardness of the conversation, he walks quickly away and leaves the drinks on a column. _Creepy. Too Creepy. _He feels exposed. Naked.

Reaching for Kate, he spins her into his arms and onto the dance floor. At first, they're both stiff, their bodies pressed rigidly together.

"Castle?" she breathes, caught off guard. "What're you doin'?"

Cherries. Vanilla. Soft, supple skin, warm beneath his fingers. With a sigh, he relaxes into Kate's embrace. Breath feathering over her ear, he says lightly, "These people are creepy. We're safer here."

Kate's posture loosens, her fingers entwining with his as a laugh escapes her painted lips. "What's the matter, Castle? I thought these were your kind of people."

He fumbles. More than anything, he wants to hear her call him Rick. Castle is a wall. She uses it to keep her distance. At first he thought it was just a cop thing. The way she does with Ryan and Esposito. But she doesn't even call him Rick when they're away from the precinct and he calls her Kate.

Buying himself time, he keeps her off balance, dipping her dramatically and making sure they end up staring into each other's eyes. _Definitely could go swimming._ When he rights her, he twirls her softly out and spins her back, admiring the mirth in her features. She's having a good time despite herself. He makes a mental note to take her out like this again. Off the clock. No distractions but each other.

"Did you know they call you the white whale?" she asks suddenly.

Rick startles. "Not Moby...?"

Kate shakes her head, her curls shaking. "Huh-uh," she replies.

His eyes landing on Rachel, he murmurs, "They know an awful lot about me."

"Rachel? She's in donor development. It's her job to know," Kate answers, stroking her fingers along his shoulder as she pulls closer.

He hears the bite in her tone, but the way she touches him gives her away. He starts to think he might have a chance. Their noses are inches apart. All he'd have to do is turn his head to the right and his lips would find hers.

But then he sees it. Rachel's boyfriend, snapping pictures with his camera phone. He wishes he hadn't. Not because he wants someone to get hurt; he doesn't. But he wants to keep Kate in his arms - wants to cradle her to his chest, his hand pressed to her back as her breath flirts across his neck.

"He's taking pictures," Rick says.

Kate snorts. "Of course he is," she replies. "Loosen up. It's not like you aren't used to your face being printed on page six."

"Not that kind of pictures," he barks, turning their positions so she see what he's describing. "Not with a cell phone."

Touching her ear, she calls in back-up. She races toward the entryway as Ryan and Esposito join her from the doors at the back. Marveling that this is a very different kind of fairy tale - Cinderella leaving the ball to apprehend the crook - he turns to join her just as the two male detectives remove the suspect with minimal disruption.

"So," he says, his need to know overwhelming. "Where'd you have the badge?"

Giving him a saucy smile and tugging her dress up to make her way out she answers, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

_Why, yes. Yes, he would._

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

There's a knock at the door. Rick rolls his eyes, flinching as the blackened one begins to throb. "Seriously, Mother, did you forget your keys ah- "

It isn't Martha's face he looks into. His eyes drift over her body. They follow the curves of the t-shirt that grips her breasts. They travel down the columns of her mile long legs in the dark blue, boot cut jeans.

Whistling and cupping the side of his face, she says, "That's quite the shiner."

Rick gives her a crooked smile. "I know, right? Alexis says it makes me look tough." He waits for a witty retort and when he gets none, he ushers her inside. "Hey. Are you...?"

She shakes her head. "I don't want to interrupt. I just wanted to..." She holds up Martha's necklace, the diamonds and rubies catching fire in the early morning sun streaming through the big windows.

"I'm afraid you just missed her. She got wind of an audition this morning and ran across town," he says.

"And Alexis?" Kate asks, eyes searching the loft for other signs of life.

He tilts his head. "School project due Monday. She's with her friends at the library. What's this about?"

He watches her shift, reads the uncertainty in her body language. Hears the gulp. Knowing he has to say something before the walls go back up, he closes the door and leans against it. "Thank you," he tells her. "You know, for saving my life."

All that gets is a sad smile. He knows better than to push. It's nothing but trouble. She's already spooked and he doesn't want to make this - whatever it is - worse.

Kate draws closer, her hands slipping over the high quality cotton of his shirt. It steals his breath and makes him fight to keep his control. His hands instinctively grab her waist, his fingers curling beneath the leather of her jacket.

Voice steadier than he feels as his pulse races just inches from pounding beneath her fingertips, he questions, "What're you doing?"

Green eyes search his and he feels like he's drowning in the time it takes her to answer. "You said I needed to ask," she says simply. "Kiss me?"

His eyes shut tightly. The tone of her voice is a tell. She sounds lost. Afraid. Practically childlike.

_That's it. That's the connection. The victim's daughter's story is not unlike her own._

"Please, Castle?"

It's almost - _almost - _enough to do him in. If only she'd used his given name, he might have cracked. His hand cups her face, his lips drifting tenderly over her forehead. It's a calculated risk. All she has to do is turn her head up and it would happen whether he wants it to or not.

But she doesn't. Her eyes flutter closed and she leans into his caress. This time he isn't the one that's exposed. Stripped of her emotional walls for that split second, Katherine Beckett opens herself up. And what he does next - well, _after _he allows himself a few more featherlight kisses to her temple and the tip of her nose - would damn near break his heart.

Kate sighs, something between a purr and a moan escaping her. "Please..."

Rick swallows and steps around her. He needs a drink. Something stiff and it's not even 10 o'clock. A hand on his hip, his head drops low and he uses the other to scrub his jaw. "Ask me for anything else, Kate," he says, pain dripping into the words. "But not that. Not today."

He hears the click of her boot heels on the hardwood floor but doesn't turn around until she tugs on his arm. "Why?" she asks breathlessly. "Is there someone else?"

With a shake of his head, he almost chuckles. _Of all the dumb luck._

Her tongue snakes out over her lip in an agonizing tease. "Why not, Rick?"

_Oh, did that figure. She would use his name now._ "I want to, Kate," he tells her, imploring with his eyes for her to understand. "So much."

She takes a bold step closer and he grabs her hands before she can wrap her arms around his neck. "But, I can't. Not today," he confesses. "Not like this."

He watches her jerk away. Sees the wall going back up. Vulnerability hidden behind its regular mask, she turns toward the door.

Hot on her heels, it's his turn to wheel her around and he hangs onto her wrist even as she tries to break his hold. "Dammit, Kate," he yells. "I wouldn't let you hide behind Nikki Heat and I sure as hell won't let you put this in an emotional box. When you kiss me - and you _will_ kiss me - it'll be because _this_ - " he gestures between them with his free hand " - is going somewhere."

The cop persona is back, the tough as nails woman who doesn't flinch or hesitate. Pulling her arm from his grip, she gets in his face and hisses, "In your dreams, Castle."

He lets her go, yelling, "Keep telling yourself that, Detective Beckett!" as the door slams behind her.

Richard Castle, best selling author: 1. Detective _Katherine_ Beckett: 1.

_A stalemate. Nobody wins when doors are slammed and voices are raised._

And, as he sinks to the floor with his back to the door, Rick has to wonder if he's given up his chance at the ultimate prize. Kate's heart.


	4. Ch 4: Stripped

**A/N:** Settle in, this is a long one...

Many, many thanks to all my reviewers...and to **lalaurala-bones** for her encouragement and support. If you haven't read Laura's fics, you're missing out because she has a way of drawing you in - even when, like me, you're a new fan. Show her some love and thank her for helping me find my way with this story. You won't be sorry.

**Spoilers:** _Ghosts_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Four: Stripped

The writer observes the scene before him. His mother has abandoned her seat to pour herself more wine. Esposito shuffles and deals the next round of cards, declaring that this will be the final hand. Ryan peeks at what's in front of him without a hint of emotion. Captain Montgomery strokes his fingers over his chips as he decides on his bet. And then there's Kate.

Things shifted back to their regular routine shortly after her visit. She'd called when she'd gotten cases and accepted the coffee he'd bought for her as if nothing had changed. He wonders if it would've been bad to _let_ something happen. At least he wouldn't feel like such a fool. Even if she'd pushed him away afterwards, he'd at least have known, right?

"It's not even midnight," Martha laments, looking at her watch as she rejoins the table with a fresh glass of chardonnay.

Rick glances at the detectives, smiling at their relaxed postures. It's nice to be around them like this. Sure, they're great on the clock and under pressure, but this makes him feel even more like one of the guys - even with his mother occupying the chair next to him. She's a good buffer between him and Kate at the moment.

"Some people have jobs to go to in the morning," he says, giving Martha a look he hopes silences her.

"Ah, my son. The working stiff," she says, shaking her head as she looks at her hand before placing her cards on the table. He marvels at how she could be so oblivious of the way the detectives try to hide their amusement. "Phooey. I fold."

Esposito's brow furrows as he looks at the older woman. "If you don't mind me sayin', Mrs. R., you fold a lot."

Martha leans on the table rather theatrically. "I just don't believe in stringing along a bad hand. Why waste time?"

The detective nods in acceptance as Rick decides to give his mother a taste of her own medicine. "Actually, Mother's game isn't Texas Hold 'Em. It's strip poker," he deadpans.

Ryan's eyes shift to his partner at Castle's comment, his eyebrows raised. He's not sure how he gets himself into these situations.

"Keep things hummin' along, if you know what I mean," Rick continues, his eyes meeting Esposito's.

"Frankly, I prefer strip because even when you lose, you win," Martha says, winking at Kate.

Rick watches the female detective blush, a wide smile lighting her face as she looks down at the table. She's beautiful. So beautiful, he's startled when Ryan raises and the captain calls.

"Make it a hundred," Kate says as she looks at her hand and tosses in her chips.

"Whoa!" Martha says and Rick's eyes widen.

"A hundred bucks?" Esposito questions.

Kate smirks, her eyebrows wiggling as she speaks, "Man up, bro."

Rick's mouth twists as he stares at his own hand and the entire table is surprised when Montgomery adds $100 in chips to the pile.

"Out," Esposito calls, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Slop," Ryan follows, showing Martha isn't the only dramatic one as he slings his cards against the leather table top.

"What about you, Castle? You're already in for the blind," Kate taunts. "Not scared of a little action. Are you?"

_And there it is_. She's finally called him out for not kissing her. He's a fool for thinking she'd let it go that easily. "Action," he answers, tossing his chips onto the pile, "is my middle name."

"Ah," Martha says, glancing from her son to Kate. "Don't worry, sweetheart. He's bluffing. Whenever he blinks too much it means he's got a lousy hand."

"Mother!" he complains, his gaze not leaving Kate's. Her smile is warm and her eyes dance. She's openly flirting and his body responds to hers as though she actually touches him. The corner of his mouth twitches.

"Alright. Here we go," Esposito says, dealing face up onto the table. "There it is."

Rick does nothing to hide his smile. He taps the cards in his hand with his index finger.

"Uh-oh," Martha interrupts.

"What?" Kate demands.

"He's not blinking," she replies. "But now he's tapping, which means he might have the nuts."

It becomes a staring match. Green eyes hold blue and it's almost as though everyone else fades into the background. Kate's expression is fierce and Rick takes the opportunity to turn the tables on her. "What's the matter?" he asks, throwing her words back, he adds. "You're not afraid of a little action. Are you?"

Kate shakes her head. Her eyes are defiant. Rick likes it. Her spirited "all in" turns him on that much more. The slight twinkle in her eyes seems to hold a deeper meaning. At least he hopes it does.

Montgomery folds. Martha and Esposito look on in awe. It's Ryan who picks at him. "Can't write your way out of this one. Huh, Castle?"

Rick doesn't want an out. He's confident in his hand, but he wants to send her a message. _Still your move, Kate._

He slides the cards across the table, taking the digs from the other players. "Guess it just wasn't my night..."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

They're in the freight elevator heading to Lee Wax's apartment when she pulls a wad of cash from the pocket of her leather jacket.

"What's this?" Rick asks, stroking his thumb over the crisp bills.

"Your winnings from the other night," Kate answers smoothly, crossing her wrists behind her back as she gives him a once over. "I'm not an idiot," she adds. "I know you threw the last hand."

He stands there, completely stunned, for a moment. He thought she understood what he was doing. Maybe his mother and Alexis were right. Perhaps it had been stupid of him.

Like the criminal in one of his books, he pockets the wad and asks, "How'd you figure it out?"

Looking at him briefly, she turns her nose into the air. "That's not the point."

"Oh," he replies tartly. "My mother called you, didn't she?"

Kate advances and Rick finds himself pressed against the padded wall of the elevator. "You owe me a rematch," she hisses.

His heart quickens at the way their chests almost brush. He forgets to breathe.

"And, Castle?" she asks, glancing at the floor count on the elevator to gauge the time she has left. Slipping her fingers into the hair at his collar, she whispers across his lips, "I never ask. I just take what I want."

Before he can respond, her mouth is on his. The kiss is warm and wet. She suckles his lower lip, teasing over it with her tongue. Her fingers caress his neck, short fingernails scratching lightly and causing him to sway.

He swallows and is about to raise his hand to cup her face when the car lurches to a stop and pings to signal the doors opening. He's frozen, confused as she pulls away. It isn't enough and he wants more. So much more.

Kate calmly tugs at the front of her jacket and steps off the elevator, not bothering to wait for him. She reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear and takes a deep breath.

Rick startles into consciousness when the doors begin to slide closed. Sticking his foot outside, he stops it and hurries. Flustered, he's amused that - just as she had in a gunfight - Kate has managed to keep control. He's fighting to catch his breath and she's walking away like nothing happened.

He wants to have that effect on her. Is determined to have that effect on her. It will happen. And soon. She has no idea what she's in for.

"Fine!" he calls after her. "You wanna play? Let's play. How 'bout tomorrow night?"

She stops, coming face to face with him and he wonders if - _hopes - _she'll pounce. "What? With your mystery buddies?"

"What? Are you kidding? No, no, no. Those guys would eat you alive," he chuckles. "No. I was thinking of something a little more local. My Gotham City crew. Guys I beat on a regular basis."

"Your Gotham City crew?" she repeats, rolling her eyes as she begins making her way down the hall.

"Yeah. The captain, the mayor and Judge Markaway. You know, your boss, your boss's boss and the guy that signs your warrants. Or would that make you nervous? I mean, I don't want you throw your game, but I also don't want you to feel patronized."

Her eyes twinkle mischievously and she grins at him. "Just set it up," she tells him. "And be prepared to get your ass kicked."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

"Well, what about it, Castle? You're good with twists," the mayor says. "Where'd the money come from?"

Staring off into space, Rick answers, "I'm thinking..."

"Yeah," Kate says saucily, leaning back and resting her arm on the back of her chair. "Well, you might wanna think up some chips for the pot, 'cause it looks like it's just you and me."

He looks at her and at their mutual chips as the other players snicker and taunt.

"Alright, Detective Beckett," he says, his eyes not leaving hers as he calls her little elevator bluff. She better get this one...because every time he goes past subtext, he manages to mess things up. "I'm all in."

Kate's mouth falls open and he's sure she knows, but she doesn't reply so he goads her. "Ooooh. What's the matter? You afraid of a little action?"

Montgomery and the mayor chuckle, but it's Markaway who chimes in and voices what the others are thinking. "Do us a favor, Detective. Beat his pants off."

Giving her his bedroom eyes, Rick says, "Yes. Please. Beat my pants off, if you dare."

The look she shoots back is unreadable. He's not sure if it's game on or if she's calling him a child. Perhaps it's a little of both.

"Beckett," the captain says. "Do me proud."

"To hell with proud," Markaway snorts. "Make him cry like a little girl."

Rick lowers his eyes to the table. _That's just freaky._ He wonders if the judge has a camera in his loft. If Markaway saw the way he was after sending Beckett away. If he saw how he sat for nearly an hour with his head in his hands by the front door.

_Snap out of it, Rick._

All eyes are on Kate. Three of the men are expectant. They wait for her to crush Rick. Rick just smirks as he watches her. They size each other up. Unbeknownst to the rest of the table, it's practically a mating dance.

Kate calmly places her cards on the table, tapping them with her index finger. "Sorry, fellas," she says sadly. "It's just not my night."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Rick shifts in his chair next to Kate's desk, withdrawing a stack of carefully folded bills. "Your winnings."

"My winnings?" she repeats, feigning confusion.

"Oh, don't play coy with me," he answers. "You threw your hand."

Leaning back in her chair, Kate smiles. "Now we're even."

"Not quite," he tells her, shaking his head as he takes a deck of cards from the pocket of his suit coat. "Whatdoya say to a little showdown?"

Kate's tongue strokes over her lips and she looks around. Taking a deep breath, she inches her chair closer and lowers his wrist to the desk. "You're on," she says quietly. "But not here. Let's take this back to my place."

_Her place_. He likes the sound of that. It has promise. "Tonight?"

She rolls her eyes. "No. A week from Tuesday," she answers, standing up and moving toward the elevator. "You coming or what?"

The car ride is quiet. He can't help but wonder what she's thinking and how the evening will go. He says nothing for fear of snapping the illusion. The last time he was in her apartment, he'd kissed her.

_And she did the kissing in the elevator. _

Did that make it his move? He's not sure. Clearing his throat, he removes his jacket and tosses it over his shoulder as they make their way to her door. "What's the game?"

"Texas Hold 'Em?" she asks.

He nods, watching as her hands fiddle with the belt of her jacket. "And the stakes?"

Kate's eyes light up. She pops the buttons one at a time to reveal a dark green blouse. "I'm thinking strip," she teases, helping herself to the deck in his pants pocket.

Rick considers the proposition, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves.

"What's the matter, Castle?" she asks. "You gonna chicken out on me?"

"You dealing or am I, Detective?" he asks darkly.

She shuffles the cards, serving up five a piece when she deals. Their gazes flit between their hands and each other. He tries not to blink too much or tap the plastic coated paper he holds. Tries not to do anything his mother called a tell.

Kate shifts on the couch, drawing a leg underneath her as she leans an elbow against the cushion. She tilts her head.

He can't focus. Can't think straight without the buffer of other players in the room. Not with her neck exposed. Not with her lips slightly parted and her eyes darkening. He nearly folds, but pride kicks in. "Call."

"Flush," she says, laying her cards between them.

He turns to face her, a grin spreading across his face as his drop on top of hers. A full house.

Putting her foot in his lap, she tugs the hemline of her jeans up to expose a toned calf. She draws the zipper on her boot down slowly and pulls it off. Rick's fingertips glide up the exposed skin and he'd swear she shivers beneath his touch. He envies Kate's focus and her ability to remove her other boot without missing a beat. She drops it to the floor with a thud and begins to shuffle again.

The next victims of the game are his shoes, followed by his socks. They're smiling and laughing. Then things turn serious. His next hand beats Kate's and she grows quiet before biting her lip. Setting the cards on the table, she straddles his lap.

Unsure of where else to put them, his hands slide up her denim clad thighs. They're close enough now that he can see the tiny flecks of gold in her irises. "Kate?"

Running a hand through her hair she leans toward him, grabbing the collar of his shirt. The vulnerability he saw a week ago is back. Only this time it has nothing to do with grief or loss. "Kiss me, Rick."

He watches her eyes drift closed, stealing herself for the possibility of rejection. Her mouth is slightly open as her grip tightens. Carefully running his hands up her sides, his thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts, he pulls her close.

She melts into him as he captures her lips. A big palm cups her face for a better angle and he deepens the kiss. His tongue explores, tangling against hers and making her whimper.

Needing a breath, her head lulls back and she arches toward him. His mouth travels along her throat while her fingers twist into his hair. "Oh, Castle!"

He groans as she squirms slightly. A warmth spreads through his chest. It's unexpected but not unpleasant. It makes him feel different. Special.

Nibbling at her lower lip, he smirks. "Say it again," he whispers.

"Castle..." she complies breathlessly before kissing him with a renewed hunger.

Rick's hands smooth under Kate's blouse and spread across the small of her lower back. Her skin is impossibly soft. He growls when she leans away, but watches as she worries her lower lip with her teeth and begins to unbutton her shirt.

"Kate..." he murmurs, not wanting to push this too far. He's already convinced himself she's worth waiting for. And that he'll wait as long as it takes.

She rolls her shoulders back, letting the olive fabric slip off and flutter to the floor at his feet. His eyes follow the line of the chain around her neck down to the lacy edge of her bra. It's cream and wedgwood blue. Flirty and feminine, and the last thing he expected from her. His lips dance across her chest, his tongue darting out to sample her slightly salty cleavage. _Mmm, so she _does_ sweat._

"Are we gonna keep dancing around it, Castle?" she purrs. "Or you gonna take me to bed?"

He pauses to look at her face - to see the desire in her eyes - before pushing to his feet. She tries to get him to set her down, but he'll have none of it. The feel of her body against his own feels too good.

With a little stumbling and a broken lamp, they make it into her bedroom. They laugh, their lips connecting as he steps over the shattered glass with a muffled promise of replacement. With a grunt he settles beside her, his body partially covering hers as she struggles to free his shirt from the waist of his pants.

It takes both of them to get it off, neither willing to break the kiss to take care of it on their own. Skin slips over skin as they continue teasing touches and open mouthed kisses. He watches in fascination as she starts to come apart in his arms. Moaning and squirming into his touch. Control falling along with her emotional walls.

Rick makes his way down her body. His tongue dips into Kate's navel and his teeth nip at her hip. He feels like a kid on Christmas morning when she raises her hips so he can remove her jeans and he notices her panties match the bra.

He settles back over her, finding her mouth as a long and muscular leg wraps around him. Varying pressure, he slides his hand over her silky skin of her arm and throat - fingertips to fingers to the full weight of his palm. She's an oasis. A cool, bottomless glass of water that will somehow never quench his thirst, yet always be enough.

"Tell me, Kate," he breathes against her throat. "Tell me what you want."

She arches into his touch, helpless to do anything but respond. His thumb strums along her inner thigh, fanning beneath the lace at her hip as he sucks lightly on her collarbone. "Castle..."

Tilting her head back as he recaptures her mouth, he greedily swallows her moan. Fingers curling around the strap of her bra, he lowers it as he uses his other hand to open the clasp. His breath catches as he draws the fabric away to reveal her breasts. She glows like a pearl in the dim light, her necklace shimmering against her pale skin, and he leans down to take one of the dusty rose crowns between his lips, a thumb teasing over the other.

Kate hums her approval, her fingers tangling into Rick's hair and drawing him closer. The ring of her cell phone pierces the air and she groans.

"Just ignore it," he murmurs against her nipple as his tongue flirts with the peak.

A whine of protest leaves her, followed quickly by a gasp as his hand slip beneath the elastic barrier of her panties. His fingers drag along her heat, eliciting a growl when he finds her soaked. Eyes shining a deep sapphire, he watches her pupils dilate and her head drop back as she squirms.

The phone doesn't stop ringing. Kate forces herself up, crawling to her discarded pants at the foot of the bed and digging into her pocket. Rick follows, his hands gliding up her bare back and brushing her hair away to expose the tender curve of her neck.

"Detective Beckett," she answers breathlessly, narrowly holding back a moan as he kisses along her shoulder. An arm wrapping around her waist he draws her back against his chest, feeling the weight of her father's watch on her wrist as her hand covers his.

"You okay, boss?" Esposito's voice comes across the line. "You sound out of breath."

"Yeah, I'm good. What've we got?" She listens as the other detective rattles off details about a case. His voice is a much needed distraction. It gives her something to focus on. Something other than the way Richard Castle's large palms cup her breasts, his fingers brushing against the skin-warmed metal of her mother's ring.

No matter how hard he tries - no matter how many times his name graces the best seller list - Nikki Heat would never come close to the woman in his arms. He's not sure he'd want her to. The facts are so much better than the fiction.

Kate's the real thing. She's resilient. A survivor. The necklace and watch prove it. They're part of who she is. Part of where she comes from. And he wants to be a part of her, too. A part of her life. Even the dark parts and rough edges.

The thought makes him smile against her skin. More than tonight - more than this moment - he thinks of tomorrow. Thinks of the next day and down the road. Thinks about climbing out of bed with her rather than late night or early morning meetings at crime scenes.

Rick doesn't listen in because he isn't motivated to. He wants to get back to what they started. Wants to get back to the promise of everything ahead. A wicked hand strokes over her lace-covered core. He teases her, making her close her eyes and suck in a breath.

"No," she answers with a tiny groan, somehow managing to keep her tone measured. He smirks. In his mind, whether fact or fiction, her annoyance is directed at Esposito and being called away. "I'll take care of calling him. See you in 20?"

Hanging up, she wrenches herself away from Rick's tempting hands and reaches to toss him his shirt. "Get dressed, Castle. We've got a murder."

"Oh, come on, Kate," he pleads, watching as she bends to pull on her jeans. "Just give me five more minutes. I'll make it worth your while."

Kate laughs softly, tugging on a soft sweater she's retrieved from the drawer of her bureau. "Funny, Castle. I pegged you for needing at least seven."

_Oh, Kate. If you only knew..._

Richard Castle, best selling author: 1. Detective _Katherine_ Beckett: 2.

He probably could have claimed that one. But he lets it go. Leaves it alone. She'll find out soon enough...and he's confident she'll be satisfied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This is about twice the length of the previous three. I could have broken this into two chapters, but felt it flowed better as one. Thoughts?


	5. Ch 5: The Ex

**A/N: **Many thanks to all my lovely reviewers...and to **lalaurala-bones** and **stephaniew** for being extra sets of eyes and my co-conspirators on this story. Attempting to write multiple fandoms at once is challenging and I couldn't do this without your support.

**Spoilers:** _Little Girl Lost_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Five: The Ex

Rick watches with a smile as Kate steers the car up to the curb. He shifts the coffee in his hand as he walks down the ramp toward her. "Good morning!" he calls cheerfully, watching her mouth drop open. "Grande skim latte, two pumps sugar free vanilla, and a bear claw."

"How did you know?" she asks.

"I'm a novelist. It's my job to notice things," he says with a smirk. It's good to see her. They've both been too busy. A massive deadline has kept him away from the 12th and his favorite detective. He made time for this one. _For her_.

"It's Sunday morning. Shouldn't you be slinking home from a scandalous liaison?" she asks taking her treats. She smiles, but her eyes betray her.

Looking around - he's cautious because he doesn't want to spook her, revealing things before she's ready for others to know - he leans close. His lips buzz against her cheek before slipping to her ear. "The only bed I want to be slinking out of is yours, Kate," he whispers darkly.

She snickers softly, but it's enough to tell him she buys it.

"Why? Were you jealous?" he asks playfully as she steps away and takes a sip of her coffee.

Shaking her head, she murmurs, "In your dreams, Castle."

The way his name rolls from her tongue makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. His blue eyes dancing mischievously, he tells her in his bedroom voice, "Actually, in my dreams you were never jealous. You just joined in." Allowing his hand to slip over the curve of her hip, he becomes serious, "Although, after the other night... I'm not sure I'd want to share you."

Kate rolls her eyes and shoves the pastry in his mouth before quickly turning and stalking toward the address the captain directed them to. He knows he's got her on the ropes. That he's not the only one with unfulfilled desire.

"Montgomery called and said come down right away, so it must be gruesome," he says, letting her get a few steps ahead. His gaze lips over her body in a lover's caress and he longs to get her out of the trench coat. To map her lean curves with his palms and keep her in bed long enough she forgets they've been apart.

"Try not to get so giddy every time we go to a crime scene, okay?" she scolds. Her steps are quick and purposeful. She's in full detective mode and there'll be no breaking through the wall surrounding her for now.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't poke at her. Remind her he's beside her and wants to be no matter what. "Just because somebody's dead doesn't mean you have to be grumpy."

"Oh. You want to see grumpy?" she asks, turning to face him and leaning forward. "How about the cover art for your new novel?"

"The Nikki Heat cover art?" he asks confused. "That's only available to..."

The light bulb flickers on. For both of them.

"Oh, my God! You subscribe to my website?" the thought tickles him even as Kate hurries away. He continues to tease her. "Wait a minute. Are you _CastleFreak1212_? _CastleLuver45_?"

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

"Six months," she says in the elevator.

"Six months what?" he asks, already knowing the answer. He could read it in her body language. In the way Will Sorenson leaned just a little too close to Kate when he wasn't around.

"We dated for six months," she confesses without looking at him. Her posture is rigid.

"I didn't ask," Rick says, trying not to smile. The fact that she said anything at all is a start. It means she's letting him in. Even if it's only in glimmers and little moments. He's confident he can make her crack. That he can get under her skin and become a part of her.

Still, he wishes he could see her eyes and the curl of her lips. Wishes he could look at her and know for sure whatever was between the detective and the FBI agent was really over.

"Yeah. I know," she answers. "But you were not asking very loudly."

Trying to make things light, he turns toward her, comforting her the only way he knows how without invading her space - with humor. "I know. I'm a good Jedi like that."

The doors ping and slide open. Kate's shoulders slump in relief as she moves into the bullpen. Unwilling to lose the opportunity, he follows her closely. "How did you meet?"

"Kidnapping," she says quickly. "Six year old boy."

He takes a deep breath. _Pretty intense circumstances._ "How did it end?"

"We got the guy," she answers.

He shakes his head. Not what he meant. He wanted to know how things ended with Will. _If_ they had ended with Will. But he can't rephrase. Ryan joins them and Kate slips back into cop mode.

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

He'd been banished. In retrospect, he probably should've seen it coming, but as Rick sinks into the chair at his desk, that doesn't seem to matter. What matters is that he and Sorenson held a pissing contest over and around Kate.

Had he really offered to drop his pants and measure? It wasn't like Kate didn't have firsthand knowledge. Just because he hadn't sealed the deal didn't mean that...

_Oh, God. _He should have made time for her. He should have found a way.

For all he knew, Beckett and Sorenson were reminiscing about old times. Perhaps talking about getting a drink afterwards. He can see Will brushing hair behind Kate's ear. Tasting the firm petals of her lips. Lifting her into his arms and...

_Stop it, Rick. Don't go there. She sent you home because she didn't need the distraction._

He opens up a document window. Tapping his temple for a moment, he thinks about where to start. He's capable of distracting himself even if Kate can't handle it.

_ Nikki challenged Rook. She got in his personal space, trying to intimidate him. She watched as he hesitated. She sways, leaning in close, tormenting him with the heat of her breath and he snaps. With a growl he dove in, hurrying through the buttons of her blouse as she laughed and worked the fastenings on his own shirt. He kissed her, deep, wet and hungry. Devouring her mouth, he moved toward her bedroom._

_ It's a game of cat and mouse and she's determined to be the cat. As his hands wandered her body, making her throb with desire, Kate wondered how long this would continue. How long he would..._

Rick swallows. Attempting to write Nikki was not a good idea. She was too much like Kate. It was too easy for him to use Rook to try all the things he wanted to do with Kate. So damn easy he'd slipped and used her actual name.

He opens his browser and pulls up the fan site. Perhaps he could do a little detective work. Try and figure out Kate's username. A grin brightens his face as he digs in.

Shaking his head, he immediately eliminates all the ones with _Castle_ in them. Too obvious. He met _CastleLuver45_ (the 40ish mother of three) at his last book signing and knows _CastleFreak1212_ is a college student from Burbank. He was certain they weren't Kate, but it was fun to tease her.

Rick chuckles as he notices some of the other names. _The_Florist_ was out; the lovely detective would never choose the name of one of his criminals. _StormsMistress8843 _had some of Kate's spunk, having let fiery comments about Derrick and Clara's relationship. _JessupCop41319 _claimed to be one of his biggest fans, but felt Nikki Heat sounded more like a stripper than a detective and was concerned his newest book would be a flop. And then there was _CastleDetective_. Spicy fan-fiction love scenes that sparked more than a few ideas in his head.

"You're home early," Martha says, crossing her arms and leaning against the door to his study.

Covering his disappointment, he answers, "Working on a kidnapping case. A little girl. Thought I'd take a breather."

He listens as she rattles on about "pea pod bonds" and how the connection between a parent and a child lasts forever. It hits him. _Angela is adopted. Her birth parents._

"Alexis!" he calls up the steps. He watches the teen bound down the steps, her smile warms his heart and he embraces her in a bear hug. Spinning her around, he considers himself the luckiest man alive. The kid means everything and he's happy to share the ties of _his_ bond with her.

"What was that for?" she asks, eyes sparkling up at him in a way that makes him gather her back into his arms.

"Just a pea pod thing. Gram will explain."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Detective Kate Beckett doesn't even bother to remove her coat as she steps into the Candella's kitchen. Briefly admiring the way Will Sorenson's shoulders fill out his suit coat, she realizes that's one of her last memories of him. Watching him slip into his jacket and walk out of her life. God it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Hey," she says as she moves toward him.

"Hey yourself," Will murmurs. He barely looks at her. It's one of the things that made them work the last time. He has walls, too. Not like hers, but enough to make him understand. The transient nature of his work somehow made him a safe choice. It kept him just closed off enough that he wasn't like Castle. Rick was open - free - in a way that she wasn't and it scared the hell out of her.

They slip into an easy routine. He pours her a cup of coffee and they lean against the counter to discuss the case. She tells him Ellers didn't pan out. That the lead was a bust because he was eating his usual eggs at a local diner.

"It would've been too easy, right?" he asks. With a small laugh, he adds, "Or over easy."

Kate would be a fool to have missed the unspoken words - _like us_. They look at each other and she can't help the smile that spreads across her face at the curl of his lips. They had some good times. They may have been too late to save the little boy, but they definitely had some good times. And then he left.

The words roll around in her head and a different pair of piercing blue eyes enters her thoughts. "That sounds like something Castle would say..."

The man beside her swallows and his posture becomes serious. "You like him."

It isn't a question. It's a statement. He knows her too well. She dodges, her eyes dropping to the floor. "No. I just...umm..." she says pausing. Eyes finding Will's again, she adds, "I don't know. I think he's interesting."

"So you're not..." he begins.

"Together?" she finishes. Truth is she's not sure what they are or what she wants them to be. Rick intrigues her. He pushes her buttons, but... "No."

Will takes a step closer, angling his body toward hers. "I meant to call," he says wistfully. "I must have picked up the phone a dozen times."

Kate feels like she's suffocating under the intensity of Will's gaze. She moves away. Moves to the door frame on the opposite wall. "Yeah, I know," she answers. "You meant to do a lot of things."

They're standing in the victim's house, waiting for the kidnapper to call, and he chooses _now_ to reminisce? She hears him say it was a great opportunity. "Look, it was a choice," she says, unable to keep the hurt from her voice. "One that didn't include me."

They talk about career paths and relationship choices. About how she could have gone with him and how if it hadn't been Boston, it'd have been Phoenix or Cleveland. She's so wrapped in emotion she doesn't notice him advancing. This is why she doesn't get involved. She gets lost. And she hates being lost.

He talks about the good times. About walks in the park and skating at Rockefeller. It makes her sad. Makes her long for something that isn't there anymore. A closeness she'd long forgotten she needed. Her humanity.

Her eyes glittering with unshed tears, she says, "I'll have you know, those ice skates are awesome."

Will shakes his head and moves in front of her. "It wasn't the skates," he says as he cups her face between large palms.

"Will, I..."

Though he cradles her jaw with infinite care, though his mouth is every bit as warm and firm as she remembers, it isn't the same. She doesn't feel the heat unfurling within her. Not even when his tongue makes a whispering half-hearted pass over hers.

"Oh!" Rick's voice interrupts. "I thought cops and feds hated each other."

A blush stains her cheeks and she avoids eye contact with either man as she tries to compose herself.

"They say justice never sleeps, guess now I know why." His tone is casual, almost jovial even, but the investigator in her knows the damage has been done.

"We were just..." she tries to explain. _Why does she even feel explanation is necessary?_

"Being consenting adults," he says lightly. "I'm not judging."

_Then why did she feel like she should be locked away?_

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Kate sits in the car with Will. Her eyes follow Castle as he weaves through the crowd with the ransom money.

"He's quite a guy," Will says, leaning toward the steering wheel where his wrist rests. Turning to the woman next to him, he decides to weigh his chances. "If he only knew how big a fan you really are."

Kate stiffens. "Yeah, well. He's not going to know."

Will doesn't give up. He pushes when she doesn't make eye contact. "You never told him how you stood in line for an hour just to get your book signed? How his novels got you through your mother's death?"

She averts her eyes from Castle for a moment to stare at the FBI Agent. "Is there anything you don't remember?"

He sighs. "Not when it comes to you."

They're in radio contact with the writer. He tells them about the texts and how he's being followed. Will notices the subtle hitch in Kate's breath as she soothes. Castle must've noticed it, too, because he lets her know he's okay with a goofy text message - U GUYS MAKING OUT?

A gentle smile curves Kate's lips.

Will knows he's lost. That he doesn't have a chance. Kate doesn't know it yet, but she's already falling. "He really likes you."

Kate stares into the distance, admitting the truth for the first time not only to Will but to herself. "I know."

Sorenson just smiles and shakes his head. "Don't waste it, Kate. You deserve to be happy."

Richard Castle, best selling author: 2. Detective Kate Beckett: 2.

_All Castle's gotta do is play his cards right...and know when to up the ante_


	6. Ch 6: Holding Out

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. I continue to deal with a back injury and I recently lost my grandfather. Please bear with me while I get this story back on track...

Many, many thanks to **JMHaughey** for the beta read!

**Spoilers: **_A Death In The Family_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Six: Holding Out

Standing next to Esposito at the murder board, Detective Kate Beckett shakes off her partner's childlike enthusiasm over the concept of black market organ sales and focuses on the police work. Rolling her eyes at Castle, she addresses the other cop, "So, instead of making up stories, we're going to establish a timeline. When did he get his first ticket?"

The Latino detective glances at the paperwork in his hand before meeting her gaze. "Last Wednesday morning."

Ever focused on the job, she says, "You guys go to the midtown garage where he kept his car and we'll go to his office."

Esposito nods. "Cool."

"Okay," Beckett answers, turning to walk through the bullpen without waiting to see if her shadow is following.

Rick watches the purposeful sway of Kate's hips. The swing of her arms is almost casual but he knows her no-nonsense stride when he sees it. His mother's words ringing in his ears, he follows quickly, stuffing the scribbled note into the inside pocket of his suit coat.

He gulps. This may not be the best time to broach this subject, it certainly isn't the best place. _Then again_, he thinks to himself, _she does have a gun and there are witnesses..._

"Hey," he says, still trailing behind her. "Can I ask you something?"

Twisting toward him, a smirk touching her lips - those delicious, pink petals he yearns to feel moving beneath his in a way that makes the entirety of his being ache - she doesn't stop moving. Her tone is casual, teasing. It makes his heart pound. "Since when do you ask permission to ask questions?"

"About your mother's case..."

That stops her cold in the center of the hallway. Her mouth falls open and her green eyes cloud with emotion. He faces her, taking her in and wishing they were anywhere but here. Wishing they were somewhere he could reach out to touch her.

"...have you ever thought about reopening it?"

She looks broken. Deflated. Lost like an abandoned child. _This was a mistake. I should have waited until I had something to offer her..._

"What are you doing?" she questions.

"Nothing. I just thought if we worked together..."

The sadness is gone. It's replaced by anger. The wall shielding her vulnerability goes up so quickly, he forgets to breathe.

"No." The word punctuates the air like a gunshot.

He tries to backtrack. Tries to fix it. Explain it in the only way he knows how. Eyes wide, he offers, "I have resources..."

The glassy quality of her eyes and the quiver of her lip - the shaky rise and fall of her chest - are chinks in the wall. The beautiful and fierce woman before him struggles to hold herself together. "Castle," she says sternly. "You touch my mom's case and you and I are done." Pausing, her eyes searching his, she adds, "Do you understand?"

Rick keeps his cool, knowing he's already crossed the line. He hopes he can prove her wrong - that he can give her peace - but he can't risk losing her, so he agrees. "Okay."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Kate is leaning against her car when Will comes out of the building. As his eyes roam up her body, she's glad she opted for changing her coat. Will always did like her in leather.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise?" he says, dimples digging in as he smiles at her.

She hands over a pastry bag, returning his grin with one of her own. "Well, hopefully this is a nice surprise as well."

He takes the bag, the brown paper crinkling in his hand as he reaches inside. Chuckling softly, he shakes his head. "Sprinkles?" He gets a kick out of her surprised expression at the word. She's every bit as beautiful as she was when they first met. "Am I really that predictable?"

"Or maybe I just know you that well," she replies, tilting her head. "I mean we did date once."

He tears the donut in half and holds it out to her they way he used to do on the rare Sunday mornings neither of their phones rang and they stayed in bed doing the New York Times crossword puzzle or making love. _Those were the days,_ he thinks to himself. "Yeah..."

"Oh, no. Thanks," she says, flipping her hair with a small smile. "I don't eat sprinkles anymore."

"Right," he answers, shoving part of the sugary treat into his mouth._ Had she finally talked to Castle?_

Will shifts to sit next to her on the car. She wasn't here to talk about the writer. Kate had always kept her feelings private. Sometimes too private. Like the times she cried at night when she thought he was asleep. "So, Kate," he says between bites. "Is this the part where you ask me to bend the rules and help you with your case?"

Kate sizes him up. He and Castle aren't completely different. They were both handsome and had a boyish charm. But as she eyes her ex, watching him fill his mouth with the sprinkled cake and leaning carefully forward to keep from getting it on his tie, she really wants a bear claw...and the laughing blue eyes of her partner smiling over his coffee cup watching her eat it. _Maybe I should tell him..._

Blocking the thought for the time being, she smiles casually. "Am I really that predictable?"

Will smiles, his mouth still full when he tells her, "Maybe _I_ just know _you_ that well."

They talk about the case. About how she wants to talk to Jimmy Moran. About how they both know what he needs to do. How easy it could be. He has to balk at first - it's government protocol after all - but when she says it's for the victim, it gets real.

He crumples the bag in his fist before looking at her. "Look, I'll see what I can do, okay?"

Kate smiles and shakes her head. "That's all I'm asking, Will."

Pushing off the car, he cocks his head and looks at her. His fingers ache to touch her cheek, but instead he focuses on the paper in his hand. "Tell me, Kate," he says boldly. "Does Rick know you're off the sprinkles?"

A blush spreads across the detective's face and the agent has his answer. He still cares about her. Still regrets walking away. "Don't make the mistake I did," he says, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Tell him, Kate. Tell him before it's too late."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Kate Beckett is quite possibly the most extraordinary woman - no, _person_ - Richard Castle has ever met. As he stares out the window watching the rain pound against the glass, he feels a similar storm raging within his heart.

She's beaten the odds more than once. Surviving her mother's death and dragging her father back from alcoholism. Becoming a successful lead detective in an arena dominated by men. Struggling for answers when she didn't have all the facts and stepping back, getting help.

Lightning flashes, illuminating the skyline and the truth. Thunder crashes as if to signify the crumbling of their relationship. He can't keep this from her, his mother is right about that...but telling her means losing her. More importantly, it means she just may lose herself down the rabbit hole all over again. "Do you know what this will do to her?"

Martha crosses her arms. Her heart breaks for her son, breaks for the woman he so obviously cares about. She was afraid of this. Afraid there was no way the kiddos would come out unscathed.

But, having held onto her own secrets, she also knows there's value in the truth. She doesn't want Richard to make the same mistakes she has. Knows he can't begin a relationship with Kate based on lies. As the rain continues to fall outside, she knows exactly what he needs to do - come clean.

"You have information that could lead to her mother's killer," she says gently. "You can't keep that from her."

"I know," he answers, turning to face her. Shackles of emotional pain bind him. She sees the agony etched into his features, hears the defeat dripping from his lowered voice. "But she said if I opened the file that we'd be through."

She closes her eyes for a moment, sitting on the arm of the sofa. It hurts seeing him brokenhearted and knowing she can do nothing to fix it. Things were so much easier when it was scraped knees and questions about his father. _Hell,_ she thinks, _This is worse than either of his divorces and they aren't even together._

The man before her now isn't Richard Edgar Castle. It's Richard Alexander Rogers. He's not the confident, playboy writer. He's the imaginative, little boy with questions she _still _ can't answer.

One of the hardest parts of being a parent is helping steer your children down the right path - even when they're all grown up. "It doesn't matter," she replies, this time more firmly and with an arched brow. "She has to know."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Will's laughter is rich. It fills the air and warms Kate's heart. The easy camaraderie - the playfulness that's been there almost from the beginning - tells her they're okay, that he doesn't blame her.

"Stop making me laugh!" he pleads.

"Oh, come on!" she chuckles, picking at one of the donuts in front of him with a bright smile. "It's not like you've been shot or somethin'."

He watches her intently. "I thought you were over sprinkles."

She tears off a small piece and prepares to place it on her tongue. "Maybe not..."

"Kate," he sighs. "We both know I'm not the one you want. _He_ is."

She chews the morsel slowly, her eyes dropping to the floor for a moment. "Will, I..."

A soft knock at the door cuts her off. There's something poetic about Castle showing up at this particular moment. Kate finds herself at a loss for anything other than finishing the pastry in her hand, leaving Will to great Rick.

"It's the writer monkey," he teases. "What are you still doing here? Haven't you finished your book yet?"

Kate knows the barb is aimed at both of them. It's Will's way of telling them to quit dancing around their feelings. She's saddened by Castle's reply.

"Last chapter..." he says quietly. Blue eyes lock with hers. "You have a sec?"

"Yeah," she says, trying to throw the wall up and steel herself for whatever he might throw at her. _Is he leaving? Is it over?_

She shares a smile with Will, blushing slightly when the agent says, "Watch it, Kate. He likes you."

Her ex's candor shouldn't surprise her. In effort to keep things from getting awkward (not to mention prevent the unspoken _And you like him, too_. that hangs on Will's lips), she quickly tells Castle not to mind the other man. "You have to forgive him. He is heavily medicated."

Rick holds the door for her. She notes his somber expression. Feels the tension hanging in the air as surely as she felt the humidity of the on-coming storm. "You look awfully serious," she says, a smile still on her lips. "Is everything okay?"

He gestures to one of the chairs in the hallway. "Take a seat."

She laughs at his tone. _Is he serious?_ "What?"

"Sit down." It's not a request. It's a directive. His eyes lack their sparkle and his mouth is a tight line.

_Apparently he is. _Her eyes are bright, but she gives up the light attitude and adopts a more serious one. "Castle, what's going on?"

He's wearing the sober expression she uses when she delivers bad news. The _I'm sorry to have to tell you, but..._ look she wears for the families of victims. The look the uniforms waiting on the porch gave her when she was 19. She knows she's not going to like whatever is coming. She can see it in his eyes.

Kate is scared. Her feet itch with the need to run away. Run back to Will's room and forget this visit happened. Run home and climb into a tub of bubbles.

"It's about your mother..." he begins.

Her whole world shifts on it's axis. She backs away, putting distance between them until her knees hit the chair behind her. She collapses. Bile rises in her throat. She shakes her head, her hands coming to rub her temples.

"No, Castle," she says, her voice quaking. "I said no."

Rick sits in the chair beside her, angling his body toward her as he tries to take her hand. She yanks it from his grasp. "Kate, please!" he cries out. "Let me explain..."

He carries on about the stabbing and the screw up with the ME. Tells her about the other killings that matched. But she doesn't hear. Doesn't listen because she can't.

Standing, she rakes her hands through her hair without looking at him. She growls, "We're done."

"Kate..."

She doesn't have to see it to know his eyes have softened and, like hers, are filled with tears. "Don't, Castle. Just..." she sighs, heading for Will's door. "Just don't. It's over. _We_ are over."

Richard Castle, best selling author: 2. Detective Kate Beckett: 3.

It kills him watching her walk away, but he's made enough of a scene. He'll wait for her. Wait as long as it takes. She's it, she's everything...and he won't give up


	7. Ch 7: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

**A/N: **I'm sorry for the long delay. I sadly sort of gave up creative writing following a hurtful comment from someone I considered a close friend and it's taken me a while to get over it. Here's to hoping you guys are still with me because I need your support. I already have the next chapter started and hope to have it up within the next week.

Many thanks to **lalaurala-bones** for all of her help and encouragement.

**Spoilers: **_Deep In Death_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Seven: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

"You mean we have to ride with the body?" the crestfallen reporter questions.

"You can take my seat up front." The second Rick looks at the ME's face, he knows he's about to have his ass handed to him. Facing Lanie - being trapped in the back of a vehicle with Kate's best friend and no buffer - makes his stomach flip-flop.

The young woman barely contains her delight at the offer. "You sure?"

"Mmm-hmm," Lanie replies, her voice dripping with sweetness. "I'm used to hangin' out with stiffs."

_Ouch_. As if the words weren't enough, the glare she sends his way almost knocks him off his feet. He follows her into the back of the van, trying to shake it off. _Better to get it over with..._

"Hi," he says, his tone as rigid as the bagged body on the stretcher in front of them.

"Uh-uh," she answers confrontationally, looking away. "You do not get to say hi to me, I'm just doin' my girl a favor."

"Oh, you too, huh?" he answers coolly. He closes his eyes and tries to maintain his composure. He hadn't figured it'd be easy, but he had hoped she might be rational and see his side.

"Well, what did you expect? Beckett spent the first three years of being a cop trying to solve her mother's murder. It took everything she had to put it behind her. You couldn't respect that?"

"What was I supposed to do? Not tell her what I found?" he asks, maintaining his closed off position with his elbows resting on his knees.

"What you found?" Lanie repeats. The author watches the woman's brow furrow even as she tries to remain collected and impassive.

"Oh, she didn't tell you, did she?" his jaw clenches. _That figures. Dammit Kate..._ "Three people were killed the same way her mother was, right about the same time," he tells her with raised brows. "One of them was a former law student of hers. Another, a documents clerk. The third one, a lawyer for a non-profit."

Her brow furrows, the professional in her kicking into action. "Wait, the ME at the time didn't make the connection?"

His voice steady, he raises his hands in a slight shrug. "If he did, he buried it."

Her eyes widen. "Did you talk to him?"

"He died four years ago." He pauses then, taking in the doctor's posture and giving her a wide-eyed and honest expression. "So you see why I had to tell her."

Lanie softens instantly. Her eyes glassy, she looks to Rick and asks softly, "What'd she say?"

"That we were done," he swallows. He's exhausted. Tired of pretending that he's okay with this. With losing Kate. "And then she just walked..."

The point of impact sends them reeling and they topple like dominos to the floor. Watching the body get stolen by masked gunmen is something else entirely. He thinks it's weird, wonders what's going on, but before he can voice his thoughts Lanie's voice interrupts him.

"She's hurt, Castle. Give her time," she says, the doctor's hand resting on his shoulder as she speaks.

He knows this is the end of the conversation, that the second they're back in Kate's presence he's the enemy again. Blowing out a shaky breath, he answers, "This is it, Lanie. There is no more time. She wants me gone. Maybe she's right. Maybe I should just leave her alone."

"No. She's wrong. You're wrong." Lanie shakes her head. "You have to change her mind."

_If only it were that easy..._

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

"Got the printout," Ryan tells Kate as they walk through the bullpen. Rick watches the way the female detective moves, trying to determine her state of mind. "Rob Bigby. He's a floor-trader at Goldman. Vic's wife never heard the name"

"For a guy who assesses risk for a living, he does seem to take a lot of 'em," he says, choosing to stand behind Kate as the boys wait patiently in front of her. He breathes in her scent - that glorious, wild cherry cloud that wraps around her - for what he hopes isn't the last time.

"Yeah, well..." Kate begins. "Look where it got him." With one last look at Bigby's picture, she hands the document to Esposito. "Pick him up."

Rick meets the Latino detective's eyes and begins to follow when Detectives Esposito and Ryan move to act on Kate's orders.

"Castle," Kate calls as she walks in the opposite direction.

_She called his name. That had to be a positive sign, right?_ Moving quickly, he jogs to follow her into the small break room.

"Leave Lanie and the guys out of this. It's between you and me," she says angrily. Whipping around to face him, she pokes him in the chest. "I asked you to do one thing, Castle. I asked you to stay out of it."

He aches to touch her, to take her in his arms and absorb all her pain. "I have resources, Kate. We can..."

"No. There is no we. You're done. We're done. The only reason your still here is because of the mayor," she growls, getting in his face.

He tries not to smile, tries to deny the fired up reaction makes him crazy. She burns hot all the time, but she's even sexier when she's angry. _If only... _

"You know what, Kate?" he asks, advancing into her space and backing her against the counter. His tone low, tone filled with seduction, he touches her arm. "Yes. I did something you asked me not to, but I think this is really because you're afraid to let go." His lips hover a breath from hers and he stares into the bottomless depths of her green eyes. "You're afraid if you get the answers there'll be no reason for you to shut yourself off. No reason for you to..."

Ryan enters the room and clears his throat. Rick and Kate part quickly and she shifts seamlessly back into the role of lead detective. As they follow the other detective out of the room, Rick grabs her arm and whispers, "This isn't over, Kate."

Staring up at him defiantly, she answers, "That's where you're wrong, Castle. It was over the second you decided my feelings didn't matter."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Rick watches as the Russian slides his chips to the center of the table. His eyes meet the cold blue stare of the man opposite him. "All in." This isn't like his normal poker games. He needs a moment to swallow his fear and hide his thoughts. "That's a big pot, Mr. Writer Man, all that money. But then, what is money to millionaire? You can write it off on your taxes as doing research."

He looks down at the cards in his hand. It's a calculated risk. He doesn't care about the money, he cares about getting out without blowing everything. Pushing his chips into the pile, a wild glint in his eyes, he echoes the call. "All in."

"You are like character in your book. In too deep." The Russian looks at his hand before meeting Rick's eyes. "Three queens," he says, laying the cards on the table.

"That's very impressive," he answers slowly. His face remains straight, tight even. "Not a lot can beat three queens." A grin breaks across his face as he lays out his hand on the green felt. "Except an inside straight maybe." He hands the dealer a chip. _Time to make an exit._ "Sweetheart, this is for you. Would you change this into something a little smaller that I can carry? Now _that_ is a big pile of money, but what's money to a mobster, right?"

Feeling the barrel of the gun pressing into his kidney as he leaves the table and hearing the harsh bark of _walk_ tell him he's found their killer. The bluff paid off even better than the game itself. "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa!"

"Who are you?" the man demands, his accent heavy.

"I told you. I'm a novelist," Rick answers, his eyes focused on the gun as the man presses the muzzle to his chest. He holds his hands up in surrender. _Any time now, guys..._ he thinks to himself.

"The story. The dead man. The roof. Who knows?"

"His family knows, his children know." Rick's heart pounds heavily in his chest, adrenaline rushing through his bloodstream.

"If he paid what he owed, he'd be home with them now. But he crossed me, and now _you_ have crossed me." The man begins to sweat. He stares at Rick with crazy eyes. The eyes of a man who has killed at least once and is willing to kill again to cover his crime.

"No, no, no. I'm just a writer," Rick pleads, trying to gain more time. Time for Kate and the guys to bring in the calvary. Time to keep from ending up in a body bag.

"Do not lie. You're cop," he spits.

"Him a cop?" the woman's voice draws the attention of both men. "Don't make me laugh, he's barely even a man."

Rick's brow furrows and his mouth puckers. He can't stop his eyes from traveling the line of Kate's body, his gaze focusing on the hot pink of her push-up bra. "Beckett?!"

"But you are a man, aren't you?" His eyes follow hers back to the gun as she continues playing her part and easing into the room, her voice confident and unwavering. "A very handsome man." She touches his shoulders. "Richard, are you bothering this handsome man?"

"Go away," the Russian commands.

Rick is speechless. He has a gun in his face and all he can think about are Kate's curves and the cling of the sweater she's barely wearing. His cock stiffens and he closes his eyes. _Jesus, what has she done to me?_

"Okay. Boys and their guns. Am I supposed to be impressed?" Kate growls. Her accent tickles Rick's eardrums and he swallows.

"It doesn't concern you," the man tells her, his eyes and gun still trained on Rick.

In a quick move, she has disarmed him and pinned him face down on the counter. "Actually, it does."

Rick's eyes travel over the firm curve of Kate's backside. Still in awe, he whispers, "Is it just my imagination, or did you change?"

He can almost hear her rolling her eyes as she struggles to keep the perp in place. "Castle?" she hisses. "Would you get some back-up, please?"

Life was definitely more exciting with Katherine Beckett in it. He just had to find a way to keep her there. To keep her from pushing him any further away. A way to convince her to let him back in...

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

He often wonders how Alexis got to be so smart, how his kid - his beautiful, wonderful kid - always seemed to be able to offer just the right answer, even when she didn't know the question. As he enters the precinct for the second time that night and, quite possibly, the last time ever, he walks with confidence because he knows if nothing else he'll be ending things on the right note.

Rick walks to the edge of her desk and he waits for her green eyes to find his. "I'm sorry," he begins. "What I did was wrong. I violated your trust, I opened old wounds and I did not respect your wishes. And, if we're not going to see each other again, then you deserve to know that I'm very, _very_ sorry."

He hesitates for a moment, but doesn't linger. He's almost out of the bullpen - almost out of her life - when she calls his name.

"Castle," it's calm and quiet, a hint of emotion but not promise. She doesn't look up from her paperwork. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And, just like that, the game's back on and he's taken the round: Richard Castle, best selling author: 3. Detective Kate Beckett: 3.

It's all tied up... but is it a hopeless stalemate, or the chance at a brighter tomorrow?


	8. Ch 8: Caught in the Act

**A/N:** _Double Down _didn't speak to me for this piece, so I'm skipping it and doubling up on episodes instead.

Many, many thanks to all of those who left kind words following my last update and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow American readers!

For **lalaurala-bones**. Always.

**Spoilers: **_Inventing The Girl _and_ Fool Me Once..._

**Disclaimer:** Unbetaed. All mistakes are mine. Oh, and I still don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Eight: Caught In The Act

They sit at Kate's desk discussing the case they just solved. It's almost like old times, times before he stepped on her feelings by looking into her mother's case. It feels... normal.

"So," Kate says, tilting her head to the side as she ponders the answer to the question she's poised to ask. "What would Nikki Heat do after a bad day?"

Rick takes a deep breath and puts on the voice he uses when he does live readings of his novels. He wants to set the mood for Kate; to paint a picture of a part of her life he'd like to share - the private part. "She'd go home, pour a stiff drink, run a hot bath and read a good book."

Kate considers his answer, her brow crinkling in a way that makes him long to run his thumb over it before cupping her cheek and tilting her lips to his for a kiss. Would that he could lift the weight from her shoulders so easily. He's startled from the image of her naked in the tub - a glass of wine in one hand and one of his books in the other - when she says, "Too bad I don't have a good book."

"Mmm..." he mumbles. Because that's an even sweeter image - a naked Kate reading the book _she_ inspired. "I'd Let you have _Heat Wave_, but my publisher doesn't want any copies leaking out."

"Why'd you let that Cosmo reporter read it then?" Kate asks.

"Well, that's for publicity purposes. Y'know, you want the press to have a little taste of..." And that's when he realizes it. As though she's interrogating one of the guys she arrests, Detective Kate Beckett has lead Rick Castle directly into a confession. Hand in the cookie jar - no, worse than that - pants around his ankles, he's been caught.

"Wait. Whoa. Is that why you've been so upset?" He looks at her kittenish smile and adjusts his position to lean closer and give her his full attention. "Because I let her read it before you?"

"I'm the inspiration," Kate reminds him. "I should be reading it before a reporter does."

Suddenly it makes sense. She feels violated. He's shared something that, while fiction, is very much a part of her. How could he have been so stupid? Crestfallen, yet tickled she's being territorial, he asks, "Why didn't you just say so?"

Tension rises as Kate snaps back, "Why didn't you just give it to me?"

"Why didn't you just ask?" he asks, wide eyed.

"Why didn't it occur to you?"

She has him with that one. Why didn't it occur to him? He couldn't have written it without her. It wouldn't have been the same. He watches her expression change to one of knowing. "You'll have it by tomorrow."

"Good," she answers.

"Good," he repeats, standing up from his chair. He pulls his cellphone out as he makes his way to the elevator. As the doors slip closed, he addresses his editor's secretary. "Sarah, hi. Rick Castle. Get her on the phone." He scoffs, rolling his eyes when the girl attempts to brush him off. "Fine. Have her call me back then. Quickly."

He's getting into the back of a cab when the phone rings. "I'm giving Kate Beckett my mock up of _Heat Wave_," he tells his editor, skipping the preliminaries. "Yes, I know it's a violation of my contract. I don't care." He lets out an exasperated breath and pinches the bridge of his nose as he continues, "No, I'm not sleeping with her." In his head, he adds a silent _not yet anyway_ before continuing. "Look, I trust her. She's not going to leak the damn book. If she does, I accept full liability."

Getting out of the cab in front of his building, he pulls several bills from his wallet as a smirk curls his lips. "I knew you'd see it my way."

Rick enters his study and pulls the proof from his desk drawer. The only thing she won't see until it comes out is the dedication. He takes a piece of linen stationary from his private stash and writes a brief note.

Smiling as he folds the paper and tucks it inside the cover, he wonders what she'll say and if she'll like it. It's more than just a book this time. It's a new beginning. A shot at being someone's one and done, not a convenient solution to lonliness. To think it almost hadn't happened, that he had a serial killer to thank for it.

_Ah, Kate... What would life be without you?_

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Almost a week goes by and she says nothing. They've been busy, sure, but his patience is waning and he _has_ to know what she thinks. _ It couldn't hurt to ask, right?_

Like a 5 year old on a sugar rush, he looks hopefully into her eyes as he hands her a cup of coffee. "So," he says, trying miserably to be casual. "Have you read it?"

"Read what?" Kate answers.

He plays along. "The book."

"What book?" she asks, a playful look on her features. "Oh! _Your_ book. _Heat Wave_."

They sit at her desk. His eyes bore into her as he waits for her approval. That's part of what makes him nervous. He can't remember the last time having someone's approval meant as much as this did. He's practically vibrating in his chair. "Well?"

"I haven't gotten to it yet," she replies.

He tries to keep his expression from revealing his disappointment. "What do you mean you haven't gotten to it yet?"

"I'm sorry," she says, her expression open and honest. "I've just been so busy with work, I haven't had time."

Hurt and anger wash over him in equal measures. "You were all over me to get a copy of that book. Do you have any idea how many hoops I had to jump through just so my editor wouldn't send an armed guard while you read it?" _Okay, not really. It had actually been pretty simple, but still... _"The least you could do is... Oh. Oh, I see what you're doing."

Kate stares at her computer screen, avoiding Rick's gaze. "I'm not doing anything."

He shakes his head. "Oh, yes you are. Yes, you are. You're trying to push my buttons, but it's not gonna work."

Kate continues facing the monitor. "Really?" she asks, turning to look at him. "'Cause it seems to be working just great." Holding an evidence bag up, she adds. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to input all of these into VICAP to see if any of Fletcher's other identities have been flagged."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

The gang is eating pizza and talking about con movies when Kate stands up and grabs her jacket. "Alright, I'm gonna leave you guys to it."

Rick shuffles some papers as his eyes track her movement. "Where you going? It's early."

"I got plans," she answers, pushing her chair in.

Castle's curiosity gets the better of him. "You've got a date, don't you?"

"No," she answers simply.

"You liar," Rick prods. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Kate just laughs. "Yeah, right." She pats Esposito and Ryan on the shoulder. "See you guys in the morning.

Rick can't take the suspense. _Have I really blown it? _he wonders silently before turning to the guys. "Okay, so who is it?" he asks. He needs to know if he still has any kind of shot.

"I don't know," Esposito answers.

Ryan looks up from the papers he's reviewing. "Got me."

"So, she hasn't mentioned anyone?" Castle asks, playing detective. He's not sure he really wants the answer, but he needs to know what the odds are. He's got to know how far to push it and which game to bring.

"In case you hadn't noticed," Ryan pipes up, "Beckett isn't really what you'd call a 'sharer.'"

Around a mouthful of pizza, Esposito questions, "Why do you care anyway, Castle? Do you have some unresolved feelings?"

Ignoring the taunt, Rick plays it cool. "For Beckett?" he raises an eyebrow, "The woman hates con movies."

As the words leave his mouth he knows he's fooling no one. He's in deep and he plans to win.

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Kate Beckett is a tough chick. She works hard and isn't good at taking time for herself. Tonight, she has plans. Plans that don't include working until midnight. Plans that include a much deserved night off.

A plan laid out by a best-selling author in a tone that makes her quiver. As she strips out of her clothes and dons a long, silk robe, she thinks back on their conversation - the one that lead her to having a treasured pre-print edition of _Heat Wave_.

"_What would Nikki Heat do after a bad day?"_

"_She'd go home, pour a stiff drink, run a hot bath and read a good book."_

_Mmm..._ she thinks to herself._ Now that sounds like a great plan._

She turns on the faucet and lets the cast iron tub begin to fill with hot water before pouring a generous dollop of Japanese Cherry Blossom bubble bath under the spray. Next, she lights candles, a small smile playing on her lips as she lets the robe slither to the floor at her feet. As she sinks into the bath, looking at the glass of pinot noir and _Heat Wave _on the tiny table, she realizes that this is quite possibly heaven.

And the best part? This was a side of her he didn't steal. This was something she shared with Nikki that was hers and hers alone. Something he didn't know about... yet.

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Approaching Kate's desk, Rick sees the spine of his book in her purse but keeps up appearances. _Being right is so much fun..._ "No hot date tonight?"

Kate smiles. "No, just the paperwork."

"One of the many reasons I'm glad I'm not actually a cop," he says lightly.

"Uh-huh," she answers, turning back to the case file on her desk.

He looks for some sign, some tiny, little spark, that might indicate she knows he's onto her. Seeing none, he shrugs it off and decides to spy on her. After all, the sex scene should've been enough to get her attention. "Have a good one."

"Yeah, you too."

It's a game of cat and mouse. He chooses a vantage point that will let him follow her and see if she buries herself between the covers of his novel; she holds her breath and looks to make sure he's actually gone before grabbing her purse and hiding in the ladies room.

Kate Beckett is caught red - or shall we say _read_? - handed. Rick Castle sees her with his book and doesn't bother hiding his smile. "Ah-ha!"

All the color drains from Kate's face and she looks horrified. "Castle, what're you doing here?"

"I knew you were reading it," he tells her, basking in the glory of her embarrassment.

"I... I was..." Kate stammers.

"It's on page 105, by the way." he teases.

"What?" she chokes out.

"That _sex _scene you're looking for," he taunts. "And Agent Grey was right. It's steamy."

"I wasn't..."

He smiles down at her, a wicked glint in his eyes. "You were in the tub last night, weren't you, Kate?" he crows. "That was your date. You were doing exactly what I suggested."

"Castle!" Kate hisses as she gets up. The two exit the stalls and come face to face briefly before she walks to the sink and splashes cool water on her face.

Rick trails his fingers down Kate's neck as he positions himself behind her. Stormy blue-gray eyes meet green ones in the mirror. "You should've called me, Kate," he breathes against her ear. "I'd have read it to you."

She closes her eyes, her knuckles white at her grip on the porcelain basin. She can feel the heat radiating from his body. She swallows and for a moment allows herself to lean back against his chest. "Now you're playing dirty..."

His lips slip along the smooth skin of her throat as he anchors her in place, his hands resting heavily - possessively - on her hips. "I told you, Kate. I play to win."

Her heart races. "Castle, please..."

Turning her in his arms, he lifts her as though she weighs little more than a rag doll and positions her on the edge of the sink. Nuzzling her neck, hands twining in her hair, he steals a kiss.

Kate is breathless - powerless - to resist. She whimpers, her tongue greedily seeking his. They kiss for what feels like hours but is really only minutes. She stops him, brushing his hands away. "Not here, Castle. Not where I work. We could get caught."

"Mmm..." Rick hums, smoothing his hands over Kate's sides as he helps her down. She's right. Catching her was more than enough without having to explain what he was doing in the women's restroom at the 12th. "This isn't over, Kate."

She runs a hand through her hair, tussling it in a way that makes him crazy. Her kiss-swollen mouth hangs partly open in a way that begs to be kissed, but he restrains himself. It's about waiting, making her want him every bit as much as he wants her. And she doesn't. Not yet.

Walking to the door, he turns back. "Hey, Kate?"

The detective's tongue traces her lower lip and he groans quietly. "Yeah, Castle?"

"Finish reading the book," he says softly. "And call me if you need your hands free when you read _that_ scene. I'm happy to talk you through it."

She wants to say something witty - to joke that maybe it would happen in his dreams - but she can't. The words don't come. In fact, his words give her butterflies.

"See you tomorrow..." he says quietly.

Alone, she picks up the novel and quickly skims the scene in question. Her mouth falls open. Somehow, she knows that page 105 doesn't even crack the surface of what he could do to her... and her body aches to find out what being with him would be like.

Richard Castle, best selling author: 4. Detective Kate Beckett: 3. He's back on top, but how long can he stay there


	9. Ch 9: Castle, Rick Castle

**A/N:** This came out of nowhere and wasn't anywhere close to what I planned. Thank God I rated this series M (interesting timing on that review **CastleCrazie**!) or I'd have had to do some creative editing...

Kate's right. Castle does kind of do what he wants, when he wants.

For **lalaurala-bones**. Always. Thank you for being my rock and cheering me up when I needed someone to talk to.

**Spoilers: **_When The Bough Breaks_

**Disclaimer:** Unbetaed. All mistakes are mine. I don't own _Castle_.

Chapter Nine: Castle, Rick Castle 

The pop of the flash bulbs. The throb of the music. The buzz and chatter of guests. He sips champagne, his mother and Alexis at his side. It's perfect.

Rick Castle gets lost as he works the room signing more than just books. He smiles at the memory of his last launch party. At how a wish for something different had turned into a whirlwind year spent crime solving with his muse.

_Was he really considering leaving that - leaving Kate - behind? Was anything - even a certain british secret agent who shall not be named - worth walking away from the woman who had him under her spell?_

That's when he sees her make her entrance. It makes him grin that she gets almost as much attention as he did. He watches her - the sway of her hips, the curve of her lips, the plunging neckline of her cocktail dress - walk through the throng of reporters.

He'd been wrong before. It wasn't perfect. Not until the arrival of his partner...

Standing, he excuses himself from his companion and begins to make his approach. He's assaulted halfway there by his agent Paula. "That's her?"

A lopsided grin sneaks from his lips to his eyes as Rick admires the curves of Kate's body. He's as proud as a peacock. You'd think Nikki Heat herself had walked off the page and into the room. "That's her."

"Huh," Paula answers. "That is one hell of a love letter you wrote her. Geez... One night in Ibiza and what do I get? A chapter in _Storm Fall_."

"A very hot chapter," Rick bites.

"And she gets a whole book?" Paula comments. "She must be a very special girl."

He can't peel his eyes away from Kate. It gets to the point where Paula's voice takes on the sound of that annoying insect that floats around your head and drives you insane. He's almost got her tuned out, almost ready to excuse himself for a second time because all he can see or think about is the woman in the blue dress standing at the display table.

"Lemme ask you something," Paula interjects. "When she calls you, do you call her back?"

Rick shakes off the thoughts of wanting to get Kate out of her dress and turns his attention back to his agent. "Yeah."

"Of course you do, because she's important to you," the brunette tilts her head. "And because it's polite."

"I call you back," he stammers, trying to remain focused.

"Three. Book. Deal." she tells him, "And I can't even get you on the phone to let you know you've got an official offer."

He blinks, unsure he heard her right. "There's a...?" He's speechless.

Paula nods. "Yeah."

Still dazed by the news, he struggles to form a complete thought. "I'm a, I'm..."

"So, can I close the deal?" she asks him.

"Paula, I'm sorry," his eyes drift to Kate, his voice shaky. "This is a big step for me. I don't know that I'm ready to walk away from Nikki Heat."

"The one on the page or the one standing over there in that Hervé Léger dress?" she asks knowingly, her eyes tracking the way Rick's caress the other woman.

"The one on the page," he answers, his tone clearly indicating the opposite is true.

She knows him well and has seen him through a string of meaningless relationships and his last divorce. "Oh, Rick. You sleeping with her?"

"No!" he answers quickly.

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for?" she growls. "Go get her out of your system, then come down to the office and sign the damn contract, okay?" Patting his cheek, she walks away and leaves her client to contemplate his next move.

Rick crosses the remaining distance to Kate, his hand traveling over the small of her back. "Hey, you made it."

"Hey, I... I was just uh, the dedication. Wow. Thank you." Kate says, still surprised by the words on the page.

"I meant it," he answers sincerely. The curve of her lower lip is mesmerizing. It begs to be kissed. He hasn't kissed her since their run in about the book. There just hasn't been time to see her outside of the precinct because of all the hoopla of preparing for the launch. "Listen, I was thinking..."

Her hand rests on his forearm, her lip quivering in anticipation of what he might say. "That's pretty dangerous, Castle..."

"Believe me, I know..." he laughs lightly as he reaches to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his voice dropping for her ears only. "You look delectable."

"Thanks," Kate laughs throatily. "You going to tell me about this thought of yours or keep me in suspense?"

Rick smiles. She's tough as nails and he wouldn't have her any other way. Leaning in close, he breathes against the shell of her ear. "I was thinking I owe you a bedtime story."

He loves the way her breath hitches. "I seem to remember a promise of lending a hand..."

She says nothing, just stares into his eyes. Like a tiger on the prowl, he attacks his prey. Taking her hand, he rubs soft circles on her palm with his thumb. "Think about it, Kate. Think about all the things I could do with my hands."

Beckett tries not to think about the jolt of electricity that shoots through her at Castle's touch. She tries not to whimper at the thought of being undressed and caressed by big, strong hands. Tries not to... Her eyes flutter closed, stealing herself for the possibility of rejection. "Are you sure this isn't just about getting it out of your system, Castle? I mean you do have that offer hanging in the wind and..."

_Shit. Damn Paula and her obnoxious voice. Kate heard her._ "I got the offer," blue eyes watch her face, his voice husky with desire. "Thing is I'm not sure I can walk away from you."

"I'm not Nikki Heat, Castle," she says looking at the lapel of his sport coat rather than his face. "I don't wanna be something you regret."

"Are you saying I should take it?" he asks taken aback.

"Yeah," she stumbles on the word. It almost sounds like a good bye. "I mean, is there a reason why you wouldn't?"

He tilts his head. "So, you'd be okay if this was it. If I didn't write another Nikki Heat and just walked away?" _Oh, Kate... What are you so afraid of?_

Kate swallows and tries to shrug him off with an uncomfortable laugh. "Why wouldn't I? It's not like I asked you to write the first one."

He calculates his next move, his hand leaving hers to brush along the stack of books to his right. He'll bait her. "You know, a lot of people would be flattered knowing that someone chose to write a book based on them."

"Flattered?" she asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," he says with a nod.

"Do you have any idea how much grief I've had to put up with over this Nikki Heat thing?"

She's digging in. He's almost got her. "Gee, I'm sorry."

Getting in his face, the flirty tone completely gone and her eyes blazing, she says, "I'm not asking you to be sorry." Her lips clenched tightly in a way that makes his pants feel too small and his tongue long to worm between them, she continues. "Just do whatever you want. You always do anyway."

_Gotcha._ "Maybe I will," he answers petulantly. His tone grows dark. "Maybe what I want is to follow you home and strip you out of that dress."

Kate gasps in shock and stumbles as if it's her first time in heels. His breath is hotter than the coffee he always seems to have for her. She closes her eyes and lets herself feel.

"I want you. I'll never stop wanting you," he tells her. "You, Kate. Not Nikki Heat."

"Castle," she tries to sound angry, but it comes out breathy.

"Enjoy the party, Kate," he whispers. "And prepare yourself because, like you said, I always do what I want."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Kate leaves the party alone. Walking through her door and locking it behind her, she slips off her pumps and heads for the kitchen. Pouring a glass of wine, she growls at the tremble in her hand and sets the bottle on the counter. "Dammit, Castle..."

As if on cue, there's a knock at the door. She pads across the hardwood and opens it, knowing exactly who it is.

Rick leans against the doorframe, his features calm and collected. Entering her home as if he owns the place, he takes the glass from her hand and sets it aside. "Good, you're still dressed."

Kate opens her mouth to reply - to bark something about him invading her space - but his covers hers and it moves so tenderly she can't bring herself to back away. That said, she goes rigid. She hates feeling so out of control. And that's what he does to her: makes her lose control. Makes her want thing she hasn't wanted from any other man.

"Relax, Kate," he breathes across her lips. "We aren't going to have sex." Their tongues collide and he feels her surprise at his words. "Not tonight. If that was all I wanted, I'd have taken it when you offered me Nikki Heat."

He pulls the zipper slowly, his palm slipping between the satin lining and the small of her back. Her skin is so warm it almost burns him. Turns out _Heat_ was as apt a name as _Rook_. Smiling against her mouth, his lips begin to fan over her cheek to the patch of skin just below her ear.

Kate clings to him for support, her head falling to the side to give him the advantage. She's lost - drowning really - in everything he stirs up inside of her. She feels alive. Murmuring in soft approval, she moans his name. "Castle..."

Rick works to free Kate from the confines of her dress. As it slithers to the floor, he stands back to look at her as she stands in nothing but a pair of boycut lace panties and the rope chain of her necklace. She takes his breath away. Without even trying.

Leading her to the bathroom, he slips out of his jacket and rolls up his sleeves. "I haven't been able to get the image of you in the tub out of my head," he confesses as he turns on the water and tests the temperature. He looks at their surroundings and sits on the edge of the old clawfoot, holding his hand out to her. "This is even better than I imagined."

She takes his hand with unexpected shyness. It isn't the first time she'd been naked with a man - hell, it isn't the first time she'd been close to naked with Rick Castle - but she feels off balance.

He pulls her between his knees and trails open mouthed kisses down the center of her chest. When Kate makes no protest, he palms one of her breasts and closes his lips around the hardened peak of her nipple.

Moaning softly, Kate cards her fingers through Rick's hair and draws him closer. His mouth and hands feel like they're everywhere... except the spots where she wants them most. "Touch me..."

He smirks against her flesh. What's clearly meant to be a command leaves her lips like a plea. Avoiding giving her what she wants for now, he switches the water off and reaches to pull the necklace over her head. His fingers tease at the elastic, knuckles brushing in between as his mouth claims hers.

Involuntarily, her hips trace his movements and follow his touch. Her fingers tighten in his hair and she wishes he'd just get on with it already. She can feel a slow burn building between her thighs. "Castle..."

It's half whimper, half purr and it gets his full attention. His body twitches in response and he lets the fabric snap back into place. Thumbs circling her hipbones, he swallows her protest.

That's when he does it. His fingers make an achingly slow pass over her through the lace and she moves to deepen the touch. It's no surprise Kate would approach moments like this the way she does everything else - pushing the envelope and commanding respect.

Burying his hand in her panties, he curls his fingers tauntingly against her sex and watches her squirm. His mouth itches to free her lip from her teeth as his digits part her slick heat, but he settles for claiming the nipple he missed earlier.

"Phone?" he questions coming up for air.

Kate gasps as he tests her body with the smooth invasion of a single finger. "Off..."

He says a silent thank you as his thumb strokes over the sensitive nub. Long, sure, teasing strokes. Nudging her legs further apart, he curls his fingers and Kate's knees buckle.

"Close..." she mutters on a ragged breath. "So close, Castle..."

But he already knows that. He can feel it in the way her body hugs his fingers. The tension is delicious and his imagination works triple time trying to determine how she'd feel wrapped around his length. It's almost enough to drag him over the edge with her and makes him feel like a damned teenager.

He wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer as he picks up the pace of his ministrations. "Let go, Kate," he murmurs against the skin of her chest. "I've got you..."

Watching her break is exquisite, from the lustful fire shining in her eyes to the way she cries out, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. She wobbles and he thinks he's got good enough balance... until they splash into the tub.

Kate laughs, clinging to him and peppering his face with kisses. Sitting fully clothed in a tub of bubbles, he should be frustrated, but that rare smile? The one he's only seen light her features on rare occasions? It's more than enough to make up for it.

"So wet..." Kate murmurs, her nimble fingers moving to unbutton his shirt.

It's Rick's turn to laugh, pride mixed with the humorous situation getting to him. "You're not the only one," he answers, guiding her lips to his.

"Mmm..." she replies, nipping at his lower lip as her hand laces into the hair at the nape of his neck. "All your fault."

"I think I can live with that," he says, shifting beneath her, unwilling to part from her kiss swollen lips. "Need to get out of these clothes."

Kate grins mischievously and moves to sit up, grinding subtly in his lap. "I like that plan."

Rick stills her hips, biting his lip. "Too much of that and things'll get messy..."

"Too much of what, Castle?" she teases with a slow, undulating movement of her hips. "This?"

He groans, pulling her tight and devouring her mouth. "C'mon, Kate..." he whines. "Not like this."

"What's the matter, writer boy?" she taunts. "You don't like messy?"

Opening his mouth to protest, he closes it and draws a finger to his lips as pressure begins to build again. If you'd asked if he'd thought she could get him off like this - fully clothed, in the bathtub - he'd have laughed in your face but, as Kate swivels slowly and whispers all the naughty things that came into her head as she read the infamous scene on 105, that's exactly what happens.

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Kate awakens to the smell of fresh coffee and a kittenish smile touches her lips as her lashes flutter open and she finds herself staring into the eyes of her partner. Sitting up, she grabs the front of his now dry shirt and pulls him into a deep kiss.

"Good morning," he says softly, pressing the paper cup into her hand. "You need a new coffee pot."

Guilty, she flushes and bites her lip. "Don't worry," he tells her, brushing his lips over hers. "I don't plan to stop bringing it to you even when the replacement I ordered comes."

"Castle," she says, shaking her head lightly. "About what I said last night..."

He smiles. "Even if I take the deal you won't be rid of me. We'll still see each other," he vows, the words tasting like ash. "It might not be every day but..."

Kate's eyes fill with hurt. "When will you decide?"

"Soon," he answers, tucking her hair behind her ear.

They sit quietly for a moment and drink their coffee, afraid to speak. Kate sets her cup on the nightstand and runs a hand through her hair. "We need to play it cool at the station," she says. "The last anyone saw, we were fighting."

Rick smirks over the brim of his cup. "Why, Beckett," he says. "Do I detect a note of concern? Worried about the walk of shame?"

She picks up a pillow and clocks him with it. "I'm serious, Castle."

"Sunglasses," he answers easily.

Her brow crinkles. "What?"

His hand smoothes over her knee. "Mine are on your desk. Should be enough to throw Ryan and Esposito off."

"That's the lamest..." she begins with a frown.

He captures her lips, silencing her with a kiss that leaves her melting like sugar on the tongue. "Trust me," he says. "It'll work."

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

Rick and Kate stroll side by side down the mezzanine stairs of the Talbots' apartment building and into the lobby. A sense of dread fills Kate's chest. _What if this is it?_

"Thank you, Castle. I uh, never would have been able to solve this case without your help." He stands there, completely dumbstruck and she feels awkward. "Well, uh, good luck on your new book. I know you'll do it proud."

He's not sure what to say, so he rolls his tongue over his lip. He's still caught up in her admission that he helped solve the case. Swallowing, he looks at her. If such a thing as a poison pen existed, she may as well have stabbed him with it. She was clearly saying good bye and he wasn't ready for that. Not when her eyes sparkled when she looks at him like that. Not when he was just beginning to crack her shell. He goes with simple. "Thanks."

They stare at each other, neither sure what to say neath the weight of the previous evening's events. Knowing there can be no grand or sweeping display because they're in public, Rick offers his hand. Beckett smiles weakly and accepts it.

"You take care of yourself, and..." His cellphone rings before he can finish his thought. He gives her an awkward smile. "My agent."

"Yeah." Kate lifts her phone as it starts ringing and the two stand there. "It's the station," she says, still waiting - hoping - he'll finish. "I, you better get that."

"Yeah," he answers sadly. He picks up the line, watching as Kate walks away to answer her own.

"Beckett," she says into the receiver.

Rick turns his attention to his own call. "Hey Paula. Ahhh, really?" Putting his hand over the mouthpiece, he tells Kate, "First day _Heat Wave_ sales: through the roof!"

Kate mimics his move with her phone and offers a half-hearted smile. "I'm on hold for Captain Montgomery."

He continues excitedly. It's what he'd hoped for. "Reviews are raves." Kate smiles and gives a fist pump.

"Yes, Captain," she addresses her boss.

"Would I be interested in doing three more Nikki Heat's?" The thought makes him giddy. His heart hammers against his rib cage as he listens to the details.

"Yes, I am aware the mayor is facing a tough re-election this year," she answers, taking a deep breath and trying not to sound insubordinate.

Rick swallows, his eyes widening at the dollar value. "I'm sorry, how much?!"

Kate tries a diplomatic approach. "No, I would love to help the department out in whatever way I could."

"No, no, forget the other offer," he tells his agent, excited by the possibilities. "For that kind of money I'll do a dozen Nikki Heat's."

"He wants me to what?!" she fumes.

"Oh," he flinches. More than a little afraid of the look he's getting from Kate, Rick proceeds with caution. "Well that was kind of a one-time only situation with her and me."

Her jaw tightens. She's angry. "Three books?! That would take forever!"

_Oh, shit... Now he's really in for it. If looks kill, he's a dead man. _"You already spoke to the mayor?"

Giving Rick the evil eye, sure he knew about this when he left her apartment, she growls, "I am going to kill you!" Questioned by her boss, Kate turns on the charm, "No, no, sir, I wasn't talking to you. I, uh, no need to thank me, sir. I am happy to help his Honor out in whatever way I can."

"Uh, huh. You know what..." he responds, watching a steaming Beckett approach. "I think... I'm gonna... Paula, I'm gonna have..." he knows he's in trouble by the look on her face and whispers into the phone, "I'll call you back." As Kate grows closer, he stammers, "I had, I had nothing to do with that phone call.

Beckett's phone starts ringing again. "What!" she barks, listening as the detective on the othe end of the line briefs her. "Okay. I'll be right there."

His features cloud with confusion as she begins to make her way to the doors. "Where are you going?"

"That was Esposito, there's been a murder." she tells him, stopping in her tracks. A tiny smile flashes across her face before she hides it and turns toward him. "Are you coming or what?" she asks, staring at him like a puppy who's misbehaved. "Do you really expect me to believe you had nothing to do with that phone call?"

"I swear I had nothing to do..." he tells her, his eyes wide and honest.

Kate cuts him off, shaking her head with a secret smile as they head for her cruiser. "Swear a little harder Castle."

He almost had her, but she surprises and takes the win. Losing has never been so sweet. Richard Castle, best selling author: 4. Detective Kate Beckett: 4.

He didn't stay ahead for long... but something tells him he isn't gonna mind Kate being on top.


End file.
